Dessert
Honey-Cardamom Crème Brûlée
Mix gently to keep bubbles out of the custard, then bake in a water bath and chill thoroughly before finishing the sugar crust.
- Yield
- 6 small custards
- Cuisine
- French-inspired
Bring it to the table
Use ground green cardamom
Weigh the spice for this version. Whole pods and ground spice are different measures.
At the table
Caramelize just before serving so the chilled custard keeps a crisp sugar top.
Before you start
Gather your ingredients.
Full quantities and serving adjustments are in the recipe card below.
See the ingredient checklist
- 100 g egg yolks
- 25 g granulated sugar
- 37.5 g honey
- 6.25 g vanilla bean paste
- 1 g ground green cardamom
- 125 ml whole milk
- 375 ml heavy cream
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar — divided among the tops
A few useful notes.
This version specifies ground green cardamom, with no cinnamon or orange powder.
The spice amount is a defined home choice for the measured dairy batch.
Six small custards are a serving suggestion.
The cooking plan
How to make Honey-Cardamom Crème Brûlée.
Heat the oven to 300°F. Arrange six shallow ovenproof ramekins, about 5 ounces each, in a deep roasting pan. Heat water for the bath.
Mix the yolks, custard sugar, honey, vanilla and weighed ground cardamom until evenly combined, without beating in air. Stir in the milk, followed by the cream. Strain through a fine sieve.
Divide among the ramekins, leaving headroom. Pour hot water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up their sides, keeping water out of the custards.
Bake until the edges are set, the centers have a gentle wobble and each center reaches at least 160°F. Start checking around 30 minutes and continue as needed for the dishes and oven; time alone is not the endpoint.
Remove carefully from the bath, cool promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours at 40°F or below. Chill thoroughly, preferably overnight, and use within 2 days.
Before serving, sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the finishing sugar evenly over each custard and caramelize with a kitchen torch following its instructions. Let the crust harden briefly and serve.
Let’s cook
The full recipe.
Check off ingredients as you get them ready.
Changing servings? The ingredient list scales automatically. Adjust quantities named in the steps to match, and choose pans and cooking times for your batch.
Honey-Cardamom Crème Brûlée
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 300°F. Arrange six shallow ovenproof ramekins, about 5 ounces each, in a deep roasting pan. Heat water for the bath.
- Mix the yolks, custard sugar, honey, vanilla and weighed ground cardamom until evenly combined, without beating in air. Stir in the milk, followed by the cream. Strain through a fine sieve.
- Divide among the ramekins, leaving headroom. Pour hot water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up their sides, keeping water out of the custards.
- Bake until the edges are set, the centers have a gentle wobble and each center reaches at least 160°F. Start checking around 30 minutes and continue as needed for the dishes and oven; time alone is not the endpoint.
- Remove carefully from the bath, cool promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours at 40°F or below. Chill thoroughly, preferably overnight, and use within 2 days.
- Before serving, sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the finishing sugar evenly over each custard and caramelize with a kitchen torch following its instructions. Let the crust harden briefly and serve.
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!A couple of useful answers.
Can I substitute the same weight of whole pods?
Use ground green cardamom as listed; a pod infusion needs a different preparation.
When do I add the sugar crust?
Just before serving, after the custards are fully chilled.
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