Lovely Vanilla Honey Pots de Creme

Vanilla honey pots de creme will blow mom away on Mother's Day.  This creamy French custard is lightly flavored with floral honey and fragrant vanilla bean.  Since these two ingredients are the dominant flavors in this dessert, splurge and get the good quality stuff.  

Honey Vanilla Pots de Crème
Coutresy of Golden Blossom 
Yield: 6 (2 ounce) ramekins or 3 (4 ounce) ramekins*

1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup Golden Blossom® honey
3 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste** or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300ºF. Arrange six 2-ounce (or equivalent) oven-safe ramekins in a baking pan, leaving an inch of space between each one. In a saucepan or spouted kettle, bring about 3 cups of water to a simmer. You will need this later for the water bath.

Combine cream, milk, and honey in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until honey is dissolved and mixture starts to steam.

In a bowl, vigorously whisk egg yolks for 30 seconds until lightened. Slowly ladle warm cream, about 1/4 cup at a time, into egg yolks, whisking constantly, until about half of the cream has been incorporated and mixture is warm to the touch. Whisk in remaining cream. Spoon off any excess foam (optional if desired, for a smoother surface on the final product).

Divide custard among prepared ramekins. Slide out oven rack part way, and place baking pan with ramekins in center of rack. Carefully pour hot water into pan around ramekins, until the water comes about half-way up the sides of the ramekins. Very carefully slide oven rack back in place, taking care not to splash water into the custards.

Bake for about 40 minutes (more or less depending on the size/depth of your ramekins) or until edges are firm and centers are still slightly jiggly when shaken (they will set more when chilled). Carefully remove pan from oven. Let cool completely to room temperature, then remove ramekins from baking pan and wipe dry. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 2 to 3 hours. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

* Not sure how large your ramekins are? Fill them with water to the same level as you’d fill with custard, then pour the water into a measuring cup. Two ounces is equal to 1/4 cup, four ounces 1/2 cup, and six ounces will measure 3/4 cup. This
yield almost exactly 12 ounces. You do the math!

* Vanilla bean paste is a highly concentrated vanilla extract flecked with vanilla bean seeds. You can also use a whole vanilla bean: simply scrape out the seeds from half of a vanilla bean (reserve the other half for another use), and add the
seeds to the custard instead of the paste/extract.

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