Danielle Alvarez's coffee and caramel pots de creme

A favourite dessert of Danielle's that smells like freshly brewed coffee in the morning, but with added milky creaminess and a silky texture.

INGREDIENTS

• 40g coffee beans
• 110g sugar
• 300ml cream, plus 100ml to serve
• 100ml milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp salt
• 4 egg yolks

METHOD

1. Coarsely crush the coffee beans in a mortar and pestle, or with the bottom of a pan, so they are broken up but still in fairly large pieces. Set aside.
2. Place the sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Don't try to stir or mix it until the edges of the sugar are starting to melt and caramelise. Allow all of it to become a deep amber colour.
3. While that's happening, combine the milk and cream in a measuring cup and keep it handy.
4. When the sugar turns an amber colour and is smoking, turn the heat off and very carefully pour the milk and cream in – the milk and cream will bubble up furiously.
5. Once it has calmed down, turn the heat to low and whisk to dissolve any sugar that seized up. Add the coffee beans to the pot to infuse. When the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat off, cover the pot and allow everything to sit together for 5 minutes to infuse.
6. Preheat the oven to 150C fan-forced (170C conventional).
7. Place a fine sieve over a bowl and pour the contents of the pot through the sieve, then discard the coffee beans and rinse the sieve.
8. While whisking, add in the egg yolks, vanilla and salt to the bowl. Strain this through the cleaned sieve one more time, directly into a jug. Pour the custard into 4 small coffee cups or ramekins.
9. Place the pots into a shallow tray and cover each pot with a square of aluminum foil. Pour boiling water into the tray to come halfway up the sides of the pots. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the custard is just slightly wobbly in the centre. Remove the tray from the oven and, using a tea towel, lift the pots out of the water and allow them to cool. When cooled, place them into the refrigerator to chill for a minimum of 3 hours (or overnight).
10. To serve, whip the remaining 100ml of cold cream in a bowl until soft peaks are achieved. Top each pot with a spoonful of whipped cream and serve.

Serves 4

Recipe bought to you by ALDI

Visit your local ALDI store for fresh Aussie produce and award-winning groceries.

This recipe is from the second episode of Good Food's new TV show, Good Food Kitchen, screening on Channel 9 at 1pm on Saturday, October 16, or catch up on 9Now.