Slippery-Slidey Cinnamon-Espresso Cup Custard

Creamy desserts are totally wonderful, & for those coffee nuts, i'm sure you'll love this flavor :)

BY DORIE GREENSPAN (SeriousEats.com)
(makes 4 servings)
1 3/4cups whole milk
2-3tsp espresso powder (2tsp gives you a mild espresso flavor)
1/2tsp cinnamon
3 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
1/2cup sugar
Directions:
1) Center a rack in the oven & preheat the oven to 325F.
2) Butter four 6-oz custard cups (or coffee cups) & find a roasting pan that's large enough to hold them; line the roasting pan w/a double thickness of paper towels to keep the cups from sliding. Have a kettle of very hot water at the ready.
3) Bring the milk just to the boil & stir in the espresso powder & cinnamon, stirring until they are dissolved.
4) Remove the pan from the heat & keep at hand.
5) Whisk together the eggs & sugar until the sugar is dissolved & the mixture is pale. (You can do this by hand or w/a mixer.)
7) Mixing without stop, add just a little of the milk—you don't want to the heat to shock the eggs.
8) When you've got about 1/4cup of the milk in (& the eggs are tempered), you can add the rest in a slow, steady stream.
9) Mix gently so you don't create too much foam.
10) Strain the custard into a measuring cup w/a spout & skim off all the foam that's on the top (even though you mixed gently); divide the custard evenly among the four cups.
11) Place the cups in the prepared roasting pan, set the pan in the oven & very carefully fill it w/hot water to come halfway up the sides of the cups.
12) Bake the custards about 45min, or until they're jiggly only in the center when you tap them lightly.
13) Remove the cups to a rack & cool to room temperature. Chill, covered, for at least 2hrs before serving.
TO SERVE:
14) Serve the custards in the cups or unmold onto small plates by running a knife around the edge of the cup to break the seal.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/10/baking-with-dorie-slipperyslidey-cinnamonespr.html

Flan de Naranja

i was getting way too hungry putting up photos.. but then this one has custard & caramel so it didn't help :S

FROM CITRUS & CANDY (citrusandcandy.com)
CARAMEL:
6oz white caster sugar
2tbsp water
CUSTARD
1cup cream
1cup milk
100ml freshly squeezed orange juice
zest of 1 orange (finely grated)
1/4cup caster sugar
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
6 x 150ml capacity ramekins*If you're using ceramic ramekins, warm them up in the oven first before pouring in the hot caramel otherwise this might cause the ramekins to crack*
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 160° C.
TO MAKE CARAMEL:
2) Put the sugar in a saucepan & place it over a medium heat.
3) Keep an eye on it without touching the pan until the sugar begins to melt & just turn liquid around the edges, which will take approx 4-6min.
4) Then give the pan a good shake & leave it again to melt until about a quarter of the sugar has melted.
5) Now, using a wooden spoon, gently stir it & continue cooking until the sugar has transformed from crystals to liquid & is the colour of dark runny honey – the whole thing should take 10-15 minutes.
6) Then take the pan off the heat & add 2tbsp of water, being a bit cautious here, as it sometimes splutters at this stage.
7) Now you may need to return the pan to a low heat to re-melt the caramel, stirring until any lumps have dissolved again.
8) Quickly pour caramel into the ramekins, tipping it round the base & sides to coat. Set it aside while you prepare the custard.
TO MAKE CUSTARDS:
9) Heat the cream, milk, orange juice, zest & sugar in saucepan & bring to the boil.
10)Whisk the eggs & egg yolks together in another bowl then whisk in the hot cream. Strain the mixture into the ramekins.
11) Place ramekins in a deep baking dish.
12) Add enough hot water in the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.Cover the baking dish with foil & carefully poke some holes in the top (to allow steam to escape).Bake for 30min or until custards are just set. There should still be a slight wobble in the centre but don't worry, they will firm up on cooling.
13)Remove the dishes from the water bath & leave to cool. Cover & refrigerate until ready to serve.
TO SERVE:
14) Carefully run a knife around the edge of the dishes and invert onto serving plates. You can serve this with sliced oranges & a sprig of mint.

http://citrusandcandy.com/2008/10/orange-caramel-custards-flan-de-naranja.html

Brandied Caramel Custard

FROM NEW YORK TIMES (nytimes.com)
(makes 6 servings)
1 cup sugar
3tbspwater
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2tsp nutmeg
1/2tsp ground cardamom
1/4cup brandy or cognac
2 1/2cups milk
1/2cup heavy cream
1/4cup golden raisins
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Mix 1 half cup of sugar w/the water in a heavy saucepan, preferably nonstick. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar has dissolved and turns a rich amber color.
3. Pour the caramel into the bottom of a 4-5cup baking dish, tilting the dish so the caramel coats the bottom evenly.
4. Beat the eggs & egg yolks together.
5. Beat in the remaining half-cup sugar, the nutmeg & cardamom.
6. Stir in 3tbsps of the brandy, the milk & cream. Pour the mixture into the baking dish, place in the oven & bake 20min.
4. While the custard is baking, mix the remaining tbsp of brandy w/the raisins.
5.After the custard has baked for 20-25min, scatter the brandied raisins over the top of the custard. They will sink in.
6 Continue baking the custard 15-20min longer, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
7 Allow the custard to cool to room temp, then refrigerate at least 6hs or overnight. To unmold, run a knife around the edges and unmold onto a plate that has a rim to catch the caramel syrup.

http://events.nytimes.com/recipes/1221/1988/12/18/Brandied-Caramel-Custard/recipe.html?scp=9&sq=recipes%20custard&st=cse

Baked Vanilla Custard

FROM ALPINEBERRY (alpineberry.blogspot.com)
2cups half-and-half(or 1 cup whole milk + 1 cup heavy cream)

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1/2cup granulated sugar

2tsp vanilla paste or vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300F.

2. Pour the half-and-half in a saucepan & bring to a simmer over medium heat.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar & vanilla until well mixed.

4. Slowly add the hot half-and-half to the egg mixture, making sure to whisk well.

5. Strain custard through a sieve to remove any large bits of egg.

6. Pour the mixture into four 6-ounce ramekins.

7. Place the ramekins in a roasting pan &add enough hot water to come up halfway the sides of the ramekins. (I line the bottom of my roasting pan with a kitchen towel to keep the ramekins from sliding around. I make sure my towel is completely submerged in water otherwise it can burn.)

8. Bake custard at 40min (or until the custard is just set)

http://alpineberry.blogspot.com/2006/10/baked-vanilla-custard.html