Toasted Sugar and Dalgona Coffee Pots de Creme

toasted sugar and dalgona coffee pot de creme

This recipe is part of a paid partnership with Highground Organic Instant Coffee. As always, all thoughts and opinions are all my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Gathered At My Table possible!

The first time that I tasted a pot de creme was the first time that I realized that I could become a pastry chef. Back in college, while I spent my days in a classroom studying to be a teacher, my cousin Joey was attending culinary school across town. (Side note: He is now a very fancy executive chef at a very fancy restaurant and resort and his food is actual artwork. It’s amazing.) Anyway, Joey would stage in the afternoons and evenings at a upscale restaurant in town which meant that we would often pop in said restaurant for deeply discounted (read: free) fancy food experiences. We would sit at a little table near the open kitchen and eat whatever the kitchen sent out to us. At the end of our first dining experience, the pastry chef sent out a sampler of all of the desserts on the menu featuring a chocolate pot de creme served with toasted brioche sticks for dipping. I about lost my mind. The custard was rich and creamy. The brioche was so perfectly toasted, the outsides were crispy and the inside was as soft as a pillow. It was the first dessert that my 19-year-old self saw artistry in, something more precise and creative than the cookies and brownies I’d been living on my whole life. It took me another seven years to actually make the career change into pastry, but it all began with that little pot de creme.

what is a pot de creme?

Pot de creme (literally translated to pot of cream) falls into the baked custards family of pastry. It shares similarities with many of it’s custard cousins— it’s baked in a water bath, uses eggs as the primary setting agent, can be flavored in many different ways. Pots de creme are often lumped in with puddings, which is not technically accurate. While the consistency is very similar to a pudding, a pot de creme only uses eggs as it’s thickener/setting agent, while pudding traditionally employs some sort of starch, like flour or cornstarch, to aid in thickening.

While they do take a bit of time to make, pots de creme are fairly hands-off. A simple, egg based custard is made (very similar in process to a creme anglaise sauce) by heating milk and cream and then tempering in egg yolks and sugar. The hot cream is then poured into jars or ramekins and baked at a very low temperature in a water bath until set. The custards then cool to room temperature and are chilled for at least 6 hours and served cold (preferably with perfectly toasted brioche).

pot de creme featuring highground coffee

dalgona coffee

I know that I’m close to a year late on this whole Dalgona coffee trend, but I’m here! That’s all that matters. Dalgona coffee is a whipped coffee that got it’s start in South Korea and took over our Instagram feeds last spring. (Michele at Hummingbird High has a very in depth look at Dalgona coffee over on her blog.) It’s so simple to make and adds a really fun texture to the pot de creme. Highground Instant Coffee, hot water, and sugar are whipped using an electric mixer until it creates a fluffy, aerated coffee that holds it’s shape and texture when added to milk or scooped on top of pots de creme. It’s like having a latte and dessert at the same time.

a note on toasted sugar

The toasted sugar in this recipe is completely optional, but it is a fun little pastry chef trick for adding depth and flavor to otherwise fairly simple and straightforward desserts. The recipe below makes more toasted sugar than is needed for this recipe (it is very difficult to toast small amounts of sugar without making oven caramel, which is not something we want), but you can store the cooled sugar in a sealed container and bake with it just like you would regular granulated sugar. If you decide to skip the toasted sugar in this recipe, just use granulated sugar in its place.

toasted sugar and dalgona coffee pot de creme

Yield: makes six 6 oz puddings

Author: Anna Ramiz

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Toasted Sugar and Dalgona Coffee Pot de Creme

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 2 HourInactive time: 7 HourTotal time: 9 H & 30 M

A creamy vanilla bean and toasted sugar custard topped with whipped Dalgona coffee featuring Highground Organic Instant Coffee.

Ingredients

for the toasted sugar

• 1 lb granulated sugar

for the pot de creme

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup toasted sugar
• 1 vanilla bean
• 5 egg yolks

for the dalgona coffee

• 1/3 cup of Highground Instant Coffee
• 1/3 cup toasted sugar
• 1/3 cup boiling water

Instructions

to make the toasted sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 300° F. Place granulated sugar in a 9x13” baking dish and roast for 50-60 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until sugar is a light tan color. Cool completely. Set aside the amount needed for the recipe, and store the rest in an airtight container and use in place of regular sugar.

to make the pot de creme

1. Preheat oven to 300° F.
2. Combine heavy cream and milk in a medium saucepan. Scrape out the inside of the vanilla bean and place the seeds and the empty pods into the pot with the cream and bring to a simmer. When the cream is hot, remove the pot from the heat and cover. Let steep for 1 hour and then strain out the vanilla bean pods.
3. Return cream to the saucepan and add 1/4 cup of the toasted sugar. Bring to a simmer.
4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup toasted sugar and the egg yolks.
5. Whisking continually, gradually stream the hot cream into the bowl with the egg yolks.
6. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve and then divide it evenly between six glass jars or ramekins.
7. Place the ramekins in a 9x13” baking dish and fill the dish with water, reaching to halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake the pot de cremes for 55-60 minutes, until the edges are set but the center still has a slight jiggle. Turn off the oven, open the door slightly and allow the pot de cremes to cool completely.
8. Remove each ramekin and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 6 hours.

to make the dalgona coffee

1. In a large bowl, combine toasted sugar, instant coffee, and boiling water. Whip using a handheld mixer for 3-5 minutes, until mixture is light and fluffy.
2. Spoon dalgona coffee on the tops of the chilled pot de cremes and serve immediately.

Notes:

In this recipe, toasted sugar is completely optional. Toasted sugar is slightly caramelized so it adds a more complex flavor to the pot de creme and it's fun to have on hand to play around with. The recipe for this toasted sugar will yield more than you need for the recipe, so keep it on hand and substitute it in place of regular sugar in any baked good. If you choose not to make the toasted sugar, simply use granulated sugar in it's place.

This recipe is sponsored by Highground Instant Coffee, but the opinions shared here are all my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make Gathered At My Table possible!

Recommended Products:

Highground Organic Instant Coffee

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Bananas Foster Eton Mess

bananas foster eton mess

Last week, we talked all about meringue so it’s only fitting that today we make some! This bananas foster Eton mess is essentially a big crunchy, marshmallow-y pillow of baked French meringue topped with whipped cream and bananas swimming in a rum caramel sauce. Literally, what else could you need?

I like any desserts that are called “mess” because it makes me feel like the decorative bar is set so low. The Eton Mess is the ultimate lazy show-stopper. It made it’s first appearance in England in the late 1800s at Eton College’s cricket match (hence the name) and traditionally consists of just meringue, whipped cream, and strawberries. But you guys know how we feel about tradition around here, so I took the liberty of subbing our strawberries for bananas foster. Eton mess is a such a beautiful dessert to showcase whatever fruit you have in season, don’t limit yourself!

For this particular version, a French meringue is spread into a big circle on a sheet pan and then baked low and slow until crisp and the bottom easily releases from the pan. While the meringue is cooling, a simple brown sugar, rum, butter-filled caramel sauce is made and a few past-their-prime bananas are tossed in. Heavy cream gets whipped with a little sweetened condensed milk and everything is very slouchily piled high on the meringue. One thing to note, none of the components of this dessert hold very well on their own and so when you put them together, you have a beautiful dessert that needs to be eaten immediately. If you are making this for a dinner party or other evening soiree, I recommend baking the meringue sometime in the late afternoon, and then making the caramel and whipped cream just before serving (they are both very quick to toss together). Serve immediately after assembling or you will find yourself in a puddle of sweet cream and caramel, which is honestly not a bad thing, but also not exactly what we are going for here.

bananas in caramel sauce

bananas foster eton mess

bananas foster eton mess

Yield: makes one large desserts, serves 8-10

Author: Anna Ramiz

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Bananas Foster Eton Mess

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 30 M

Instead of the traditional strawberries, this Eton Mess is made of a crisp, marshmallow-like baked meringue topped with bananas swimming in rum caramel and lots of homemade whipped cream.

Ingredients

for the french meringue

• 200 g (about 5-6) egg whites
• 350 g (1 3/4 cup) granulated sugar

for the bananas foster

• 3 ripe bananas, sliced
• 4 tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar
• 1 tbsp coffee liqueur
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• Pinch of salt

for the whipped cream

• 1 cup (227 g) heavy cream
• 1/4 cup (78 g) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, optional 

Instructions

to make the meringue

1. Preheat oven to 200° F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and begin whipping on medium speed. When the egg whites begin to froth, gradually stream in sugar while the mixer continues to run. When all of the sugar has been added, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and continue to whip until smooth and glossy and medium peaks form.
3. Pour meringue onto your prepared baking sheet and use an offset spatula to smooth into a circle, about 9” in diameter.
4. Bake for 1 to 1- 1/2 hours, until meringue is dry and crispy and easily releases from the bottom of the pan. Set aside to cool.

to make the bananas foster

1. Set a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and brown sugar to the pan and cook without stirring, until butter is melted. When the butter is melted, you can begin to whisk the caramel occasionally. Continue to cook for 5-7 minutes, until brown sugar is dissolved and caramel is deep brown and bubbling. Whisk until smooth and homogenized.
2. Carefully whisk in coffee liqueur and heavy cream and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Stir in bananas and salt and remove from heat to cool slightly while you make the whipped cream.

to make the whipped cream and assemble

1. Place heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Begin whipping on medium-low speed, until frothy and then gradually increase speed. When the cream has reached soft peaks, add the sweetened condensed milk and then continue to whip until whipped cream has reach medium peaks.
2. Spread half of the whipped cream over the meringue. Spoon bananas and caramel on top of the whipped cream, followed by the remaining whipped cream and toasted walnuts. Serve immediately.

Notes:

• a note on "peaks": Most of the time, meringue done-ness is discussed in terms of peaks—soft, medium or stiff. I usually like to explain the difference between the three by using pictures, but I’ll try to use my words to help you create a picture in your head. When you remove the whisk from the bowl, the meringue at the top should create a tip. If the tip immediately falls back over onto itself, you’ve reached the soft peak stage. If the tip stays upright, but the very top of it falls back onto itself creating a little wave look, you’ve reached medium peaks. If, when you pull the whisk out of the bowl, the tip stands upright, you’ve reached the stiff peak stage. **This also applies to whipped cream**
• None of the components of this dessert hold very well on their own and so when you put them together, you have a beautiful dessert that needs to be eaten immediately. If you are making this for a dinner party or other evening soiree, I recommend baking the meringue sometime in the late afternoon, and then making the caramel and whipped cream just before serving (they are both very quick to toss together). Serve immediately after assembling or you will find yourself in a puddle of sweet cream and caramel, which is honestly not a bad thing, but also not exactly what we are going for here.

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Caramelized Honey and Tangerine Frozen Yogurt

Happy Friday from me and all of my citrus! I’ve mentioned it a few times on my Instagram, but we have a lemon tree at our new house! What is cuter than a little backyard tree brimming with bright yellow lemons? Absolutely nothing, which is basically why we bought this house. That and my big kitchen island. Anyway, when we moved in about 3 weeks ago, a billion lemons were fruiting on the tree, but we weren’t sure how long they’d been there since the house had been vacant and the tree had been a bit neglected. The juice of the lemons is sweet and floral and wonderful, but the zest tastes like soap. So this week, we picked all of the best lemons from the branches and then pruned them all back so that come spring, we will have cute little lemon tree blossoms, hopefully followed by fresh fruit. I can’t wait!

That all being said, I currently have four bowls of lemons sitting on my counter and I’m working on trying to figure out what to do with all them before they get soft. It’s a very serious task. And on top of all of that, my cousin came to visit last week and brought me bags of tangerines and sour oranges so I’m currently swimming in citrus AND I LOVE IT!

Last week we made grapefruit bundt cakes, this week we have tangerine fro-yo, and I’m working on a fun, boozy sour orange recipe. You’re going to be getting a whole bunch of citrus recipes whether you like it or not. ;) but I hope you like it! This tangerine frozen yogurt is so good and so simple. I took a bunch of my beautiful, vibrant tangerines and turned them into tangerine jam. (This recipe makes more tangerine jam than you need for the frozen yogurt, but I highly, highly, highly recommend baking some sourdough and slathering your warm bread with butter and tangerine jam.) The jam is then swirled into whipped heavy cream and greek yogurt and caramelized honey is folded in. The whole thing takes an overnight freeze and then we cut to you, sitting on a porch in the sun, eating frozen yogurt. What could be better?

In practical notes, you can 100% make this recipe with any citrus fruit, or honestly, any fruit you want. If you decide to use another non-citrus fruit, here are some very technical instructions- pop about 12 oz of fruit in a pot with some sugar (about 1/2 of the fruit weight) and a little lemon juice. Simmer until fruit is broken down and slightly thickened and then cool.

frozen yogurt, citrus, tangerines, honey, ice cream, oranges, winter, dessert, summer

ice cream, frozen yogurt

Yield: makes 1 quart of frozen yogurt

Author: Anna Ramiz

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Caramelized Honey and Tangerine Frozen Yogurt

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 1 H & 30 MInactive time: 12 HourTotal time: 13 H & 50 M

This frozen yogurt is made without an ice cream maker and is swirled with buttery caramelized honey and homemade tangerine jam.

Ingredients

for the tangerine jam

• 2.5 lbs (about 10 oz) tangerines
• 1 lb (454 g) granulated sugar
• Juice of one lemon

for the frozen yogurt

• 12 oz tangerine jam, recipe included
• 1 cup (227 g) heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups (340 g) whole milk greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup (255 g) honey
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

to make the tangerine jam

1. Wash the tangerines and place them (whole) into a large pot. Fill the pot with enough water to submerge the tangerines. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
2. Cook tangerines for 15-20 minutes, until the peels have softened. Drain and cool slightly.
3. Quarter the tangerines and remove as many seeds as possible, then return the quartered tangerines to the pot. Add sugar and lemon juice and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
4. Cook the jam for about 1 hour, stirring regularly, until the jam has thickened and the peels are very soft. Let cool.
5. Transfer jam to a food processor and pulse until peels are broken down and the jam resembles orange marmalade in consistency. Divide between two jars, seal, and refrigerate until you are ready to use.

to make the frozen yogurt

1. Line a 9x5” loaf pan with plastic wrap. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet set over medium heat, cook the honey until bubbly, loosened, and very fragrant (about 5 minutes). Stir in the butter and salt, and then remove from heat to cool while you prepare the yogurt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the yogurt and continue to whip until the mixture is homogenous and medium peaks form.
4. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the tangerine jam and 1/2 cup of the caramelized honey into the yogurt. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, smooth the top with an offset spatula, and then press plastic wrap directly to the top of the yogurt. Wrap tightly and freeze for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
5. When you are ready to serve, add a dollop of tangerine jam in the bottom of a bowl. Top with frozen yogurt and drizzle with remaining caramelized honey.

Notes:

1. You can make this jam with oranges, mandarins, or other citrus fruits. Tangerine skins are very thin and soft so they cook down easily in this jam so keep that in mind when substituting other fruits. Thicker-skinned citrus may need to be peeled.
2. You can substitute the whole-milk greek yogurt with whole milk regular yogurt or labneh. Just make sure it's full-fat or whole-milk or your frozen yogurt will be icy.

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