Tonight I’m helping the boys out. They say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and while I don’t doubt this for a second, I think the same can be said for ladies—especially when it’s their special man, or their I’m not sure yet if he’s going to be my special man or not, man–who does the cooking.
Listen up guys: Do you want to make it really easy for her (or him, for that matter) to want to keep you around? Pull out this little trick from your arsenal.
Maybe you’ve been on a few dates already, shared some instant convos via skype or text, and now it’s time for the “C’mon over and I’ll make you dinner” moment. Or maybe you’ve been friends for a while and now you have the opportunity to take it up a notch. Either way, this dessert is sure to leave an impression.
The best part of this dessert is that it looks very chef-made but is quite easy to master. Another great plus is you can make it ahead of time and just whip it out of the fridge when the moment strikes (I’m talking about the pudding, boys).
That way, if you’re still not quite sure of yourself in the kitchen, you can make a big mess and have a bit of a freak-out in private, then have it chilling in the fridge for that moment where the evening needs something sweet.
On the other hand, if the night isn’t going as well as you’d hoped, you can keep the pudding in the fridge for another time.
This dessert is enough like childhood pudding cups not to totally freak your girl out, but special enough to really impress her (especially if you call it by it’s proper name, pot de crème). Plus it’s sweet but not an obvious choice like chocolate, so you’ll be setting yourself apart from the rest.
The creamy, salty-sweet butterscotch is very rich, too, so you may want to bring one bowl over to the table with two spoons–instant romance.
And I know you guys love to do that “oh, you’ve got a little something there on your lip” thing.
Most girls I know would be putty in the hands of any funny, kind, gentleman who also happened to plan in advance to prepare a special dessert for after that special meal.
Good luck. And don’t say I didn’t warn you of the power of the pot (de crème).
Recipe from GQ Magazine
- 6 egg yolks
- ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
- Preheat oven to 300F.
- Place egg yolks in a large bowl and lightly whisk till smooth. Set aside.
- Over medium-high heat, heat the brown sugar, milk and cream in a heavy saucepan and stir until the sugar starts to dissolve. Then heat until the milk is steaming and tiny bubbles have formed around the edges, but do not boil. Remove from heat. Cover to keep warm.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and ¼ cup of water and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as the sugar turns amber (the colour of a new penny), remove from heat.
- Carefully add ¼ cup of the hot cream mixture, whisking until combined. Whisk in 2 more cups of the cream mixture, then add the rest.
- Pour the caramel cream into the yolk in a slow, steady stream (do it too fast and you risk scrambling the eggs), slowly and gently whisking the mixture continuously.
- Stir in the vanilla and salt. Strain custard through a sieve into a pitcher. Skim off any foam or bubbles off the top.
- Pour the custard into six 5-ounce ramekins in a roasting pan and carefully fill the pan with hot water until it comes halfway up their sides. Carefully cover the pan with foil.
- Bake in the oven for 45 to 47 minutes until set. When the custard is gently shaken, the centre may seem a bit loose. This is ok.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the creme finish setting in the water bath at room temperature uncovered. When cool, refrigerate uncovered to preserve the burnished colour.
Comments (2)
Wow this delicious pot of creamy deliciousness has me salivating 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
It’s super rich, CCU. But a great alternative to my first love, chocolate:)