Japanese Purin

A silky, dense custard pudding topped with dark liquid caramel. The custard must be perfectly smooth with no air bubbles, remaining wobbly after being unmolded.

• Prep time: 20 min
• Cook time: 45 min
• Difficulty: Medium
• Calories: 277
• Protein: 8 g
• Carbs: 45 g
• Fat: 7 g

Ingredients

• 160 g White sugar ( divided in two parts )
• 30 ml Mineral water ( for the caramel )
• 3 piece Egg ( room temperature )
• 400 ml Whole milk ( fresh )
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Cooking the caramel

   In a saucepan, heat the white sugar with a bit of mineral water without stirring. When the caramel reaches a dark amber color and smells toasted, immediately pour it into the bottom of the ramekins. The caramel should set instantly.

2. Preparing the custard

   Heat the whole milk with vanilla extract until simmering. Meanwhile, mix the remaining eggs and white sugar without whisking to avoid air bubbles. The mixture should remain liquid and homogeneous.

3. Straining and filling

   Pour the hot milk over the eggs in a steady stream while stirring gently. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer to remove impurities and bubbles. Gently pour into the ramekins over the set caramel.

4. Bain-marie cooking

   Place the ramekins in a baking dish filled halfway with hot water. Cover with foil. Bake at 150°C. The custard is ready when the edges are set but the center still jiggles like jelly.

Chef's tips

• Never whisk the eggs; mix them with chopsticks or a fork at the bottom of the bowl to avoid creating foam.
• Straining through a chinois is the crucial step to achieve that mirror-smooth texture without any grit.
• Let it rest in the fridge for at least 6 hours; the caramel will liquefy and perfectly coat the custard when unmolded.

Storage

Keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days. Do not freeze.