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The Anglican Church in Tasmania Search |
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a healthy church...transformingLIFE |
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Editor's angle
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Dessert is a rarity in our house, but having a dozen dinner guests demands something special after mains. And what could be better than the classic Crème Caramel? Not just because it is a special dessert and looks fabulous when turned onto a plate, gold and gleaming, but the making process is a treat. One of the reasons I love to cook is that it gives me time to think, to consider and muse about the ordinary things. The classic recipe for a large Crème Caramel requires very ordinary and ready-to-hand ingredients - eggs, cream, milk and sugar. The most dramatic part of making this dessert is making the caramel itself. In my stout German pan I heat sugar and water. It is easy to miss the critical moment when almost without warning the contents of the pan start to turn liquid golden and must be poured at once into the glass mould to set into rock-hard toffee. Over this is poured the egg and cream mixture to which I add something very special and very expensive - a vanilla bean. The best vanilla beans look like slender licorice sticks and come from a far-off land. They are bought sealed in a glass vial - and can cost $6 each! When split and gently heated in the milk/cream mixture an unremarkable-looking pod from a tropical plant yields the most subtle and wondrous aroma and flavour. A profligate cook might toss the bean out after using, but if rinsed quickly under water and stored in a jar of sugar it can be used again and again. The bonus is a jar of vanilla sugar! So where’s she going with this, you say?It’s all about transformation - ordinary, everyday ingredients being transformed by a precious essence into something special. Ordinary baked caramel custard ‘will do’ and is cheaper. But why make do with that, when the addition of a ‘special essence’ can transform it into something wonderful? Bon appetit! |
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