Gebrannte Creme (lit. burned pudding) or Caramelcreme, a dessert based on caramel, is a popular dessert in Switzerland. It can be tricky to get the caramelising of the sugar right – dark enough so it tastes like caramel but not too dark which makes it taste bitter. There are many different recipes around; I’ve tried many and find this one particularly easy as there are only four ingredients involved.
Recipe for 3-4 people
- 200g caster sugar
- 4.5dl milk
- 3dl whipping cream
- 30g corn starch
Method
Caramelise the sugar in a wide, stainless steel saucepan at a medium-high heat until the colour changes to hazelnut brown.
Then gently pour in the milk and stir continuously until the sugar has completely dissolved. At this point you might feel like giving up – there’s a high chance that your caramelised sugar turns rock-hard once you pour in the milk. Don’t despair, it’ll all end well. Just bring the milk to a slight boil and, while stirring gently, wait until the caramelised sugar has entirely dissolved. This can take ten minutes or so.
In a separate bowl, mix the corn starch with 0.5dl of cream until you have a smooth paste. Then add the paste to the pan and bring it to the boil once again, while stirring continuously. Let the pudding cool down.
Before serving, whip the remaining 2.5dl of cream. Carefully mix half of the whipped cream into the pudding and use the other half to decorate.
