Baked Camel Food

BAKED CARAMEL CUSTARD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Melt brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until it turns to liquid and begins to caramelize. Pour into 6 custard cups, shaking cups to make sure the sugar is evenly distributed. Don't touch the sugar because it will be very hot.
• Mix the remaining ingredients together and pour into each custard cup. Fill a large baking pan with 1-inch of hot water. Place custard cups in the water bath and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until just set. Cool in the baking pan until they reach room temperature. Remove from water bath and chill. To serve, quickly turn each cup over onto an individual serving plate. The sugar will have turned into a delicious syrupy glaze. For an extra treat, serve with fruit and whipped cream.

BAKED CAMEL

Steps:

• Cook the eggs, peel them.
• Scale the carps.
• Fill the carps with the dates and the eggs. Fill the turkeys with the carps.
• Fill the sheep with the turkeys.
• Fill the camel with the sheep.
• Dig a large pit.
• Place about 500 kilos of charcoal in the pit and light them.
• Wrap the camel in the banana-leafs and place in the pit.
• Cover with earth and bake for two days.
• Serve with rice.

CARAMELS

Steps:

• Combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, cream, condensed milk, corn syrup and salt in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the mixture reaches 245 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Take from the heat and stir in the butter. Pour into a 6-inch square baking pan lined with parchment and allow to cool and set about 3 hours.
• Take the caramel from the pan and, using a very sharp knife gently sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, cut the caramels into squares and wrap in wax paper or candy wrappers (see Cook's Note). Store in a cool dry place.

SALTED CARAMEL CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter a 23cm springform cake tin and line the base with baking parchment. Tip the biscuits into a food processor, blitz to crumbs and pour in the melted butter. (You could also tip the biscuits into a bag, bash with a rolling pin into crumbs and mix in the butter.) Press the biscuit mixture into the base of the tin - the easiest way to do this is by flattening it with your hand under a sheet of cling film. Place the tin on a tray and bake for 10 mins, then remove from the oven to cool.
• Meanwhile, scrape the cream cheese into a bowl with 3 tbsp of the caramel sauce, the vanilla, sugar and flour, and beat until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until you have a thick, smooth custard consistency. Tip over the base, scraping the bowl clean, and bake in the oven for 10 mins. Reduce the temperature to 140C/120C fan/gas 1 and continue to bake for 25-30 mins until there is a slight wobble in the centre. Turn off the heat and leave the door just slightly ajar - a tea towel holding the door open is ideal. This should leave you with a completely smooth top, but if there are a couple of small cracks, don't worry. Leave the cheesecake in the oven until completely cool (overnight is fine), then chill until needed. Will keep in the fridge for two days.
• On the day, loosen the sides of the cheesecake from the tin with a knife and remove the base (although I usually serve it straight from the tin base). Add a large pinch of flaky sea salt to the rest of the caramel sauce, then spoon it over the cake and swirl with the back of the spoon. The cheesecake will sit happily on a stand at room temperature for a couple of hours. Just before serving, sprinkle with extra sea salt, if you like.

EASY CARAMEL CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter two 20cm springform tins and line the bases with baking parchment.
• Beat the butter and both sugars in a bowl with an electric whisk for a few mins until lighter in colour and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, adding a spoonful of flour and beating in between each egg. Add the remaining flour and milk. Divide between the cake tins and bake for 25-30 mins until they're golden, spring back when pressed, and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle. Cool in the tins for a few mins, then tip out and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, for the icing, put the butter and icing sugar in a bowl and whisk for a few mins until light and airy. Whisk in the caramel briefly, adding 1 tbsp of boiling water to loosen, if needed. Set aside until the sponges are completely cool before assembling, or the icing will melt.
• Use half the icing to sandwich the cakes together, then spread the remainder over the top, smoothing it out with a knife or the back of a spoon. Leave in a cool place until ready to serve. Drizzle with the 3 tbsp extra sauce (warm briefly in the microwave if it's a little stiff), allowing some to drip down the sides if you like, and scatter over the toffee, chocolate or caramel pieces to serve. Edible glitter, birthday candles or sparklers, optional.

WHOLE STUFFED CAMEL

Steps:

• Skin, trim and clean camel (once you get over the hump), lamb and chicken.
• Boil until tender.
• Cook rice until fluffy.
• Fry nuts until brown and mix with rice.
• Hard boil eggs and peel.
• Stuff cooked chickens with hard boiled eggs and rice.
• Stuff the cooked lamb with stuffed chickens.
• Add more rice.
• Stuff the camel with the stuffed lamb and add rest of rice.
• Broil over large charcoal pit until brown.
• Spread any remaining rice on large tray and place camel on top of rice.
• Decorate with boiled eggs and nuts.
• Serves a friendly crowd of 80-100.