Joyeuses Pâques! Happy Easter! Today, we decided to cook and bake a very casual lunch for Easter. First of all, we still have half of our cookware still unpacked. Then, we’re just both of us, plus our cat Roquette. So nothing fancy today! Just lamb followed by egg custard covered with caramel.

Egg custard is not a traditional Easter dessert in France. Actually, I gave a lot of thoughts about a French Easter dessert, but nothing came to my mind. We have what we call the Easter nest. Basically, it looks like a moka (coffee buttercream and genoise) with some Easter eggs on the top. It reflects the Easter spirit but it is not really traditional.

Like the crème brûlée, the île flottante (floating island) or the fondant au chocolat, the crème caramel is a brasserie classic all year long in France. But to me Easter = Eggs = Egg custard. It makes sense right? Once again, it is very easy to bake, made with 4 simple ingredients, you just need to bake it the day before so it will have time to thickened over night. Now put your apron on and get ready to bake a flavourful egg custard!

Ingredients for 6 egg custard Large ramekins

• 1 3/4 cup (350g) Caster sugar
• 4 1/4 cup Whole milk
• 6 eggs
• 1 vanilla bean

Directions

1. Place 3/4 cup caster sugar in a saucepan. Add 3 tbsp of water and cook over low heat until it turns into a beautiful caramel.
2. Pour the caramel in the bottom of your ramekins. Let it thickened at room temperature. A little advice: pour hot water in your saucepan to wash it easily afterward.
3. Cut the vanilla bean longwise and place it in a pan with whole milk. Bring it to a boil, then turn the heat off. Let the vanilla infuse for half an hour. You can cover your pan with plastic wrap to keep a stronger vanilla flavor.
4. Pre-heat your oven to 340°F (170°C). In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs with the remaining sugar (1 cup) until the mixture whitens. Then, pour the warm milk over, through a fine mesh strainer.
5. Spread the custard evenly in each one of the ramekin. Place the ramekins in a deep baking tray. Fill the tray with boiling water and place in the oven for 30 minutes. When it’s ready the tip of knife should come out wet and clean. Take the ramekins off the oven and let them sit in your fridge overnight (or at least 6 hours).

Serving tips: You can serve them in the ramekin or you can choose to turn them out over a plate. The second option is a bit more risky. To do so, insert the tip of a knife between the egg custard and the ramekin. Cover with a plate, and flip over. Voilà!

Cooking tips: As easy as it seems, the first step is the most difficult of the recipe. Here are a few rules to successfully cook a perfect caramel:

Rule n°1: Do not ever stir even though it will be very tempting.
Rule n°2: Add a few drops of fresh squeezed lemon juice if it is your first time.
Rule n°3: Smell it while it’s cooking, it will taste the same as it smells.
Rule n°4: Always work with low heat and be patient. If the caramel is overcooked (burnt), it will become very dark and too bitter.