Coffee and Brown Sugar Brûlées
Photography by Aaron McLean.
The brûlée mixture can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated and stir before pouring into the ramekins. The desserts can be served without the caramelized sugar if desired. Top with a small spoonful of softly whipped cream and shavings of dark chocolate.
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
2 cups cream
¼ cup coffee liqueur (I used Kahlua)
2 tablespoons instant espresso coffee granules
2 eggs
4 egg yolks
½ cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, optional
To finish
6 tablespoons caster sugar
kitchen torch or brûlée iron
6 x ¾ cup capacity ramekins
METHOD
Heat the cream, coffee liqueur and coffee in a saucepan until just below boiling point, stirring to dissolve the coffee. Do not let the cream boil.
Beat the eggs, egg yolks, brown sugar and the cardamom in a large bowl until pale and thick. Very slowly whisk the hot cream into the egg mixture. Strain into a bowl, cover and chill.
Preheat the oven to 125˚C
To assemble: Place the ramekins in a deep roasting dish lined with a cloth and divide the custard evenly between each. Add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the dish with foil then pierce all over with a skewer. Bake for 1 hour or until the custard is just set. It should have a slight wobble in the centre. Remove from the roasting dish, cool, cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
To finish: Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over the top of each pudding and use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar. Serves 6

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