Japanese Custard Pudding

Japanese Custard Pudding
INGREDIENTS  
Makes 6 individual sized puddings
 
CUSTARD

• 3 large eggs
• 500mL whole milk
• 70g white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla paste (optional)

 CARAMELIZED SUGAR

• 50g white sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. CARAMELIZED SUGAR: Heat 50g of white sugar on large frying pan on medium-high heat. The sugar will turn from solid white to liquid white and eventually to an amber brown color. Swirl the pan during the caramelizing process to ensure all the sugar gets heated evenly. Be careful not to overheat as the sugar will burn.
2. While waiting for sugar to caramelize, place pudding containers into preheated oven (350F) to keep them warm.
3. Once all sugar has caramelized, roughly eyeball to divide the caramelized sugar evenly into the warmed pudding containers 
4. Keep pudding containers with caramelized sugar in oven and proceed to make custard pudding part.
5. CUSTARD PUDDING: Add 500mL of milk to 70g of sugar and heat on medium heat until all sugar dissolves. 
6. Remove milk + sugar mixture from heat and add vanilla paste if desired. Allow to cool slightly before whisking in eggs.
7. Strain mixture.
8. Pour custard pudding mixture into pudding containers, dividing evenly.
9. Pop air bubbles that formed while pouring (I used a chopstick). 
10. Place pudding into a baking dish/pan with 2" height.
11. Pour hot water into the baking dish so that the water reaches 1/2" up each pudding container.
12. Bake at 350F for 1 hour in water bath. Check after 30-45 minutes to make sure the tops are not over browned. Cover with foil if the tops are getting too brown. If you don't want the browned top look, just cover the pudding with foil when you first start baking.  
13. Allow pudding to cool, cover and refrigerate overnight to allow pudding to completely set.

PICTORIAL INSTRUCTIONS

1. CARAMELIZED SUGAR: Heat 50g of white sugar on large frying pan over medium-high heat. The sugar will turn from solid white to a light amber liquid and eventually to an amber brown color. Swirl the pan during the caramelizing process to ensure all the sugar gets heated evenly. Be careful not to overheat as the sugar will burn.

2. While waiting for sugar to caramelize, place pudding containers into preheated oven (350F) to keep them warm.
3. Once all sugar has caramelized, roughly eyeball to divide the caramelized sugar evenly into the warmed pudding containers 
4. Keep pudding containers with caramelized sugar in oven and proceed to make custard pudding part.

5. CUSTARD PUDDING: Add 500mL of milk to 70g of sugar and heat on medium heat until all sugar dissolves, the milk does not need to boil.
6. Remove milk + sugar mixture from heat and add vanilla paste if using. Pour milk mixture into another container and allow to cool to touch before adding in eggs. DO NOT add eggs to hot mixture or you may end up with scrambled eggs in sweet milk.

7. Whisk eggs until completely incorporated. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer to get rid of the thick white part of the egg that will prevent you from having that smooth custard after baking.
8. Pour custard pudding mixture into containers, dividing evenly.
9. Pop any air bubbles that formed while pouring with a skewer or chopstick.

10. Place pudding into a baking dish/pan with 2" height.
11. Pour hot water into the baking dish so that the water reaches 1/2" up each pudding container.
12. Bake at 350F for 1 hour in water bath. Check after 30-45 minutes to make sure the tops are not over browned. Cover with foil if the tops are getting too brown. If you don't want the browned top look, cover the pudding with foil when you first start baking.  
13. Allow pudding to cool, cover and refrigerate overnight to allow pudding to completely set.