Cardamom-Vanilla Coffee Crème Brûlée Recipe
By Aida MollenKamp
| Difficulty | Makes | Hands-On Time | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intermediate | 4 cups uncooked custard (6 to 8 Servings) | 20 minutes | 3 hours 30 minutes |
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1/2 cup dark roast coffee beans crushed
- 8 cardamom pods crushed
- 2 whole vanilla beans halved lengthwise and seeds scraped
- 8 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup plus 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Combine cream, half-and-half, coffee beans, cardamom, and vanilla beans and seeds in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, about 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer until infused with coffee, cardamom, and vanilla flavor, about 30 minutes more. Strain cream mixture to remove coffee beans, cardamom, and vanilla and discard; set cream mixture aside to cool slightly.
- Combine yolks, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and salt in a large bowl; whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture is pale and thick, and leaves a trail when the whisk is lifted, about 2 minutes. Whisk in cocoa until just combined. Whisking constantly, gradually pour in cream in a slow, steady stream. Skim any foam or bubbles from surface.
- Arrange 6 (2/3-cup) or 4(1 cup) ovenproof ramekins in roasting pan and evenly divide custard. Tap each ramekin a few times to break any bubbles that appear on the surface. Place roasting pan on oven rack and add enough warm water to come halfway up sides of ramekins or custard cups. Bake custards until just set in center, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer custards from water bath directly to refrigerator. Chill uncovered until cold, at least 2 hours.
- When ready to finish, put 1 teaspoon of remaining sugar on each custard. Rotate ramekins to coat evenly. Using kitchen torch, melt sugar on each custard until deep amber. Let the caramel cool and harden and then serve immediately.
