JAPANESE CUSTARD PUDDING (PURIN)

One of my favorite desserts growing up was the simple and humble プリン aka purin. It’s basically the Japanese version of flan, or caramel custard. The pudding portion is creamy, and the caramel on top with its slight burnt sugar bitterness…how can I make that sound more appetizing?! You know what I’m talking about right? Anyways, it’s delicious and pairs so well together.

In Japan, purin is really popular, and you can get it in all forms- anywhere from a trendy cafe to a convenience store. There are also different candies and treats that are “purin flavored”. I’ve seen purin kitkats, pocky, and even gum!

There are two main ways to make purin. Baked/steamed and gelatin. Today I’m sharing with you the baked method. I also plan on adding a gelatin version, so keep an eye out! The ingredients list is SO simple. Sometimes, the simpler the ingredients are, the yummier the end product.

All you need is sugar, water, eggs, milk, and vanilla. That’s all!

The hardest part is making the caramel, because if you let it go too long, the sugar will burn, but if you don’t let it go long enough, the caramel flavor is too muted. Try and go until it is a dark brown. If it’s too light, it won’t have enough flavor. And guess what? It’s just sugar and water. If you go too long and burn it the first time… well, you can just dump it and try again! Ha! Guess who’s done that before?

Ingredients;

• caramel sauce
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 T water
• 1 T water to add at end
• custard pudding
• 3 large eggs
• 500 ml whole milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 t vanilla extract

Instructions;

1. Preheat oven to 320 degrees F. Prepare 6 ramekins. I used special metal purin cups that I got in Japan, hence the shape. See video above. 
2. In a small pan over medium high heat, add the sugar and 3T water and quickly stir together. Stop stirring, and allow the sugar water to come to a simmer. Cook the sugar until it is a deep brown, and is caramelized. Add 1 T of water to the caramel, to help loosen it up. Careful! It's hot and may splatter a bit! Quickly pour caramel into the 6 ramekins.
3. In a large microwave safe bowl, heat the milk until warm to the touch. Whisk in the sugar until combined. Whisk together the three eggs in a separate bowl. Add the whisked eggs to the milk/sugar, and whisk to combine. Add the vanilla and whisk to combine. Pour through a strainer, and divide the strained liquid among the 6 ramekins.
4. Place the ramekins in a 9x13 cake pan (or a pan with sides that are about as tall or taller than the ramekins). Boil water, and pour the hot water in the cake pan (don't get any in the purin!), about 1/2-3/4 of the way up the sides of the ramekins.
5. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30-50 minutes, or until the custard is soft but set, and no longer too liquidy. (note: a reader informed me that when using  glass/ceramic ramekins it needed to bake on the longer side, about 50 minutes)
6. Remove from oven, and allow the purin cups to cool completely. These are best served cold, so let them cool in the fridge before serving!
7. To remove purin, run a knife along the edge of the ramekins and flip onto a plate, so the caramel sauce is on top. Or eat it straight from the ramekin!
8. Garnish with some whipped cream and mint, if desired.

Read The Original Full Recipe in Source (Thank You): contemplatingsweets.com
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