I was recently looking for a sweet treat that was familiar yet unusual enough to impress family and friends. I also wanted to do something a little unusual than the standard American dessert. I was flipping through all of my saved recipes to come across a little gem called Purin. Purin is a Japanese custard pudding with caramel. It is not dissimilar from Japanese Milk Pudding, but slightly different. So with a plan in place, I used the Purin Recipe from Contemplating Sweets. Want to know how it went?

I love this recipe since it is easy and portions nicely. There is no super hard complex baking techniques nor strange ingredients so an average cook can do it. The only place I diverged from the recipe is with the stirring of the water and sugar for the caramel since I never had success using that technique. My caramel making technique is to pour the sugar in the center of the pan then gently pour water around the sugar. Let the water soak the sugar throughly before turning on the stove and then leave it alone. I do not stir nor swirl. I do not even bump the pan. I do this to prevent any crystallization. Then, I stand by while waiting for the sugar to boil and turn amber.

BUT LOOK HOW IT TURNED OUT! The Purin was so sweet and soft. It was a beautiful caramel and cream color that the Purin is famous for. So why not use the Purin Recipe from Contemplating Sweets and make this successful recipe?