Living Behind The Curve

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons strongly brewed hot coffee or espresso
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 1 cup coconut milk (not light), well-stirred
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup half and half
• 3 large whole eggs plus 2 yolks
• pinch salt

Special equipment:

• cotton tea towel
• 6 ramekins
• large roasting pan

In a very heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, cook 2/3 cup sugar and corn syrup, stirring gently with a fork. Watch the mixture carefully and continue cooking until the sugar is the color of a butterscotch candy. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the hot coffee. (Coffee must be hot, or mixture will clump.) WARNING: when the coffee is added, the sugar will bubble furiously. Mind the steam. Immediately divide the caramel equally among the ramekins and set them aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large pot, combine coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, and half and half, and bring to a boil over medium heat. As soon as the mixture boils, remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining sugar, eggs, and salt. Slowly add warm dairy mixture, whisking constantly to avoid curdling. Pour mixture into ramekins on top of hardened caramel.

Lay the tea towel in the bottom of the roasting pan and carefully set the ramekins on the towel, making sure their sides do not touch. Set the pan on the oven rack and use a pitcher to add tepid water to the roasting pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Carefully slide the rack into the oven and bake for 60 to 75 minutes (custard will be firm but slightly wobbly.)

When the custards have baked, use a pair of tongs and a flat spatula to move the ramekins out of the water bath onto a cooling rack. As soon as they are cool to the touch, run a butterknife around the edges of the custards to loosen them. Chill for 4-6 hours prior to serving.

To serve, invert ramekin onto a plate and jiggle slightly to release the custard. The caramel will flow down over the entire dessert, making for a lovely presentation.

This recipe was part of the $25 Dinner Party.