Chai Crème Brûlée
Photography by Aaron McLean.
There are two important steps when cooking brûlée to ensure a silky smooth finish: the infused custard must be cold before placing in the ramekins and only add very hot but not boiling water to the roasting dish – this is referred to as cooking in a bain marie.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
2 cups cream
½ cup milk
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
6 whole cloves
20 whole black peppercorns
½ teaspoon cardamom seeds
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
4 egg yolks
½ cup caster sugar
To finish
4 tablespoons caster sugar
brûlée torch
4 x ¾ cup-capacity ovenproof ramekins
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 125˚C
Brûlée: Put the cream, milk and all the spices and the vanilla in a saucepan and bring to just below boiling point. Whisk the egg, egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl then very slowly whisk the hot cream with the aromatics into the egg mixture. Cool then cover and chill for up to 2 days to infuse the flavours.
To assemble: Strain the custard into a large jug and discard the solids. Place the ramekins in a deep roasting dish lined with a cloth napkin and pour the custard into each ramekin. Add enough very hot tap water to the roasting dish to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes or until just set with a slight wobble in the centre. Remove from the roasting dish and cool. The custard will continue to set as it cools. Cover the ramekins and refrigerate until well chilled or up to 24 hours.
To finish: Sprinkle each brûlée with a tablespoon of sugar and use a brûlée torch to caramelize the sugar. If you don’t have a torch, you can serve the brûlées without the sugar topping and they will still be delicious.
Keep up to date with
dish weekly recipes,
food news, and events.
latest issue:
Issue #115
Issue 115 is packed with inspiration for all kinds of cosy meals – whether you’re dining alone, as two or with a few. We start with our Plating Game interview with Jesse Mulligan which inspired a medley of curries and sides then move on to a round up of easy one-pan chicken dishes, a variety of pasta bakes and meatballs, and using one simple yet delicious tart base we whip up five fab filling options. Sarah’s wintry faves include a moreish chorizo (not) carbonara, lamb and spinach filo pie and we finish off with sweet treats and decadent puds. We love seeing what you create, don’t forget to share your dish dishes with our Facebook community. When it comes to winter cooking, make it SIMPLY YUM!