Some foods are so intertwined with memories that a mere mention takes you back to childhood and home, celebrations and gatherings, mothers and aunts, and grandmas and warmth. And if you grew up in the Indian subcontinent or have roots from there, chances are
kheer/payasam/payesh would be just that kind of a food. Milk, sugar/jaggery and something starchy like rice, tapioca or vermicelli come together to make a wonderfully comforting pudding-like dish for which the word ambrosia can be used without hesitation! Commonly made as an offering during religious festivals and often one of the first foods a baby tastes during
Annaprasana – the official introduction to solid foods, this dish follows us into birthdays and festivals, passing of exams and weddings and births of our own children to continue the cycle.
And as with all foods in India, here too, there are a myriad regional variations and subtleties with the flavorings and extras added. In the south, you would typically see the payasam flavored with cardamom and the addition of cashews and golden raisins. In the north, saffron is commonly seen in the kheer, along with cardamom and a variety of dried fruits and nuts including almonds and pistachios. At times, even some bling in the form of edible silver leaf called vark 🙂
For informal occasions, you will find a seemingly endless variety of kheers and payasams made with all kinds of fruits and vegetables. The apple kheer, carrot paysam, beetroot payasam, lauki kheer ….even cabbage kheer! And I am just skimming the surface here….the sheer variety would fill a book.
These pots de creme were a result of a particularly inspired moment, when the idea of combining the Indian payasam of my childhood with the French pots de creme I discovered as an adult came to me. Having spent a fair amount of time in France, I had grown to love their creamy, homestyle desserts and the mind-boggling variety of yogurts.
And I must say these turned out just as I had imagined. Rich and creamy but still light, sweet but not overly so and with delicate hints of caramelized milk and cardamom. At first, I wanted to reach into my stash of mava to add a nuanced caramel flavor but realized that a dulce de leche would serve that purpose just as well and would be far easier! The sweet vermicelli cooked like the north Indian Meethi Seviyan added the right amount of chew and the sliced almonds gave it the perfect crunch. And the portions were just enough spoonfuls to satisfy that craving at the end of a meal:)
So the next time you want a lovely and elegant addition to the dinner table…..Indian or otherwise, I hope these come to mind:)
Makes 6 one-third cup portions
Pots de Creme:
1 1/4 cups heavy cream*
3/4 cup 1% milk*
4 egg yolks*
1/4 cup raw sugar
3 tbsp dulce de leche (I used the Nestle La Lechera brand and froze the remaining)
4 green cardamom pods, roughly crushed
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Mix the heavy cream, milk and cardamom in a saucepan. Heat on medium heat just until you see bubbles forming on the side of saucepan. Do not bring to a boil.
In the meantime, add the egg yolks to a mixing bowl and break them up slightly with the whisk. Add the raw sugar and mix until creamy.
Add the dulce de leche and whisk for another minute or so, until well incorporated.
Temper the egg mixture first by pouring a little bit of the hot cream mixture into it while whisking. Then slowly start pouring the rest, making sure to continuously whisk to prevent the eggs from getting scrambled. Strain into another pan to remove any solids, including the cardamom.
Pour about 1/3 cup of this mixture into six oven-safe ramekins/cups/jars and arrange them in the baking pan.
Boil enough water in a kettle to have a level that would reach halfway up the ramekins/containers.
Put the baking pan in the oven and very carefully pour the boiling water into the pan.
Close the oven door and bake at 300 degrees F for about 40-50 minutes. The center should still be jiggly when you remove it. It will firm up upon cooling. Let it rest in the water bath for 10 mins and then remove it onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours. It will still feel soupy when you put it in the fridge but gets firm upon cooling.
Topping:
1/2 cup Vermicelli (Semia), broken into 2-3 inch pieces. This is easy to find in Indian grocery stores.
2 tbsp raw sugar
1 tsp ghee or melted butter
1/2 cup water*
a large pinch of cardamom, freshly powdered
Roasted almonds sliced/ chopped for garnish
Heat the ghee/melted butter in a skillet on medium heat and add the broken vermicelli. Stir continuously since it tends to burn easily. Roast for a few mins until it starts to change color and gives a nutty aroma.
Add the water and the sugar at the same time and keep stirring on medium-low heat. It will start coming together like a dough and look a bit lumpy. Add the cardamom and turn off the stove. Let it cool completely. The vermicelli will now be separate and stringy.
Distribute them equally among the ramekins and top with some chopped almonds.
*The proportions I have given will give an almost firm custard-like pots the creme. If you would like it to be very firm, use 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream, 1/2 cup whole milk and five egg yolks .
*The recipe for the vermicelli will give you an al dente vermicelli that is quite crispy. If you would like it to be softer, use 3/4 cup water.
Yum
**This was originally a guest post at the stunning
Dvara!! A gorgeous coffee-table magazine that captures the essence of traditional and modern India with great elegance and style. I have been following them for a while now and am in love their unique articles and absolutely breathtaking photography. So when the opportunity came up for doing a fusion recipe for their blog, I was thrilled:) And I made these pots de creme, joining my favorite simple and homestyle desserts from two cultures – the payasam/kheer from India and the pots de creme from France. It was a real pleasure to work on this recipe and an honor to have it featured on their blog.
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