French · Authentic-ish French
Creme Caramel
183 kcal a serving, against 260 for the traditional version. That is 77 kcal off, or 30%, with 7.6g of protein. Serves 6. 1 hour, plus 4 hours chilling.
What the traditional version is
A heavy mixture of whole milk, a massive pile of sugar and a ridiculous number of egg yolks, gently baked in a water bath. The ramekins are lined with a dark liquid caramel that becomes the sauce when you turn the cold pudding out onto a plate.
What changed, and what each change costs
Egg yolks swapped for egg whites
Egg yolks carry all the fat in an egg. I drop the extra yolks entirely and use raw egg whites instead, which firms up the custard while stripping out the heavy dairy fats.
What it costs you. The texture changes. You get a slightly firmer, cleaner set rather than a velvety one. It lacks that ultra-rich finish melting on your tongue.
Whole milk down to semi-skimmed milk
Whole milk gives the traditional custard its heavy dairy mouthfeel. Semi-skimmed milk works perfectly well to dissolve the sugar and hold the egg matrix together without bringing all that extra fat to the party.
What it costs you. You lose that lingering, creamy finish. The custard tastes a bit lighter and distinctly less luxurious.
200g of sugar down to 150g
You can't cut the sugar in the caramel, because it won't work. The caramel is pure melted sugar. But I easily rip 50g of sugar out of the custard itself, letting the dark sauce provide the main hit of sweetness.
What it costs you. If you eat the custard entirely on its own, it tastes a bit bland. You have to make sure you get some caramel on every spoon.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 260 | 183 |
| Protein | 7.9g | 7.6g |
| Fat | 8.3g | 3.6g |
| Saturated fat | 3.6g | 1.8g |
| Carbohydrate | 38.8g | 30.2g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 3g | 4.1g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish French prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. eggs, milk.
The method is in the book
Call it just a slightly firmer version of a genuine classic rather than a completely different dessert and you'll be about right. The hit of dark, bitter caramel against the sweet vanilla custard is exactly what you want after a big dinner. Yes, it lacks the heavy, cloying richness of a yolk-heavy custard, but I actually prefer eating something that doesn't make me feel completely weighed down.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish French, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback