Ginger Creme Caramel Recipes

GINGER CREME CARAMEL

Steps:

• Combine first 3 ingredients in a small saucepan; stir well. Cook over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook, without stirring, until mixture is caramel-colored or candy thermometer reads 340 degrees.
• Remove from heat, and immediately pour mixture into an 8-inch round cake pan, tilting to coat bottom evenly; set aside.
• Place milk in a heavy saucepan; cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated. Combine egg substitute and 1/2 c sugar in a medium bowl; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Gradually add warm milk, stirring well. Stir in ginger. Pour into prepared pan.
• Place pan in a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; pour hot water into baking pan to a depth of 1 inch. Place in a 350 degree oven, being careful not to slosh water into the 8-inch pan. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake 1 hour or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Remove pan from water and let cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill overnight. Unmold onto a serving platter.

CARAMELIZED GINGER AND GINGERED CARAMEL

Steps:

• Caramelized Ginger: Cut a ginger root to fit into a plastic bowl with a lid.
• Cover the ginger root pieces in sherry.
• Let this sit until the ginger is fully soaked through with sherry, which can take a month or more.
• The ginger will be dark tan in color and firm and somewhat stringy in texture.
• It will be almost translucent.
• Remove the ginger root from the sherry and set the sherry aside for later.
• Cut the rind off of the ginger root and cut the inner portion into pieces about the size and thickness of 1/2 a dime.
• Put the small ginger pieces into a bowl and cover completely with sugar.
• I had about 1/4 cup of ginger and I put in about 3/4 cup of fine grained white sugar.
• Add back about 2 tablespoons of the sherry.
• The resulting mixture, with the ginger pieces in it, is a thickish but runny syrup.
• Put a mound of sugar (at least a cup) on a plate or in a small bowl and set it aside where you can reach it when you are standing at the stove.
• Cook the ginger/sugar/sherry mixture on the top of the stove until it boils but not until it darkens, (i. e., remove it from the heat before the sugar starts to burn).
• Stir a couple of times while the mixture is heating.
• Use a slotted spoon and remove the ginger pieces from the boiled liquid and plop them onto the sugar mound, keeping them separate from each other as much as possible.
• Spoon more granulated sugar over the top and let this sit for about 1 minute.
• Then stir the whole thing to coat the ginger with sugar.
• Let it sit for 5 minutes, then remove the ginger pieces and set them on a piece of baking paper to air dry.
• Gingered caramel: The boiled sherry/sugar stuff that's still in the pan can be boiled up again for about 30 seconds.
• Just as it starts to brown, remove it from the heat and add two or three tablespoons of butter.
• Let it cool for a few minutes and then pour the now very thick caramel onto more baking paper.
• This is fantastic caramel!
• Notes: This recipe starts with about 2 four inch pieces of ginger root and the yield is about 1/4 cup of caramelized ginger and about 1/3 cup of gingered caramel.
• I happened to have cooking sherry on hand so that is what I used.
• I had purchased two or three small (maybe 4 inches long) pieces of ginger root and I had not used them for anything.
• I had heard that you can soak your ginger in sherry to preserve it so I had cut the roots into 2 inch pieces, give or take, and covered them in sherry in a plastic bowl with a lid.
• I forgot about the ginger and it sat on my kitchen counter for 4 or 5 months.
• Possibly it would have been ready to caramelize a lot sooner than that but it was in perfect condition for this recipe after months of sitting.

CARAMEL CUSTARDS WITH GINGER (CREMES CARAMELS AU GINGEMBRE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Bring water, 1/2 cup sugar, and fresh ginger to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, washing down any sugar crystals from side of pan with a brush dipped in cold water. Boil gently, without stirring, 6 minutes (syrup will be foamy).
• Transfer ginger with a slotted spoon to a small bowl. Cook syrup remaining in pan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it becomes a deep caramel. Divide caramel among ramekins, tilting to thinly coat (caramel may not cover bottoms completely).
• Whisk together yolks, whole eggs, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Bring milk, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and cooked ginger just to a boil in cleaned pan. Add half of sweetened milk to eggs in a slow stream, whisking constantly but gently, then stir in remainder. (Excessive whisking incorporates air and will result in a custard with many holes.)
• Pour custard through a very fine sieve into a bowl and discard solids. Divide custard among ramekins and cover each tightly with foil. Put ramekins in a water bath and bake in middle of oven until set around edges with centers still wobbly, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer ramekins with a slotted spatula to a rack and cool crèmes caramels to room temperature (centers will set as they cool).
• Serve in ramekins or inverted onto a plate. To invert, run a thin knife around edge of each ramekin. Invert a plate over each ramekin and, holding plate and ramekin tightly together, invert crème caramel onto plate