Cardamon Ginger Creme Brulee

My first blog post starts with the aromatic spice cardamom. On Thanksgiving 2008, my husband and I hosted an amazing dinner at our new home for our closest friends. Dessert is my favorite course in any meal. I skip appetizers just to save room for dessert. I made Spiced Pumpkin Tart with a Ginger Snap Crust, Citrus Scented Apple Pie with Homemade Cinnamon Ice Cream, and Cardamon and Ginger Crème Brulee. The creme brulee was a big hit.

As homage to the spice cardamom, below please find the recipe for Cardamon and Ginger Crème Brulee. In each bite, there was a light scent of cardamom with a spicy ginger undertone.

Cardamom Ginger Crème Brulee:

3 slices of ginger (1/4 inch thick), peeled
6 cardamoms (whole)
3 cups of whipping cream
¾ cup sugar
6 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon good quality vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt

Brown sugar for topping.

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Combine cream, ginger and cardamom and place over low heat for 20 min. Do not let the cream boil or scald. This process is to infuse the cream with the cream with the scent of ginger and cardamom. Remove the cream and cardamom.
3. Mix eggs and sugar until thick (approximately 2-3 minutes). Add in vanilla and salt.
4. Add in a little cream into the egg mixture. This tempers the eggs mixture and prevents the eggs from scrambling.
5. Add in the remainder of the cream at a slow pace until incorporated.
6. Place 8 ramekins in a shallow baking pan. Pour the custard into the ramekins.
7. Pour hot water into the baking pan, roughly half way up the ramekins if possible.
8. Bake for 45-55 minutes until the custard sets.
9. Remove and chill in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.
10. Sprinkle brown sugar on top of the custard to make an even layer.
11. If you do not have a torch, you can use the broiler but it requires cooling the custard again.
12. Broil until the sugar melts, approximately 2 minutes.
13. Chill until the custard sets again. Approximately 1-2 hours.

This dessert can be made the day before. Broil before serving dinner. That way the custards will be cool by the dessert course.

Variation: For Chai Crème Brulee, substitute ½ tsp chai tea masala powder for the ginger and cardamom. If you do not have tea masala powder, use 2-3 sticks cinnamon, 4 cardamom, and 2 cloves.

Monsoon Winds

Before immigrating to America, I lived in India for a short period of time. Although my time in India was ephemeral, the sights, sounds, and smells of my small fishing village imprinted into my young mind. I remember those memories so vividly that the smells draft into my memory occasionally. Bendamurlanka sits engulfed by the Indian Ocean and the sacred Godavari River. It is in this village where I experienced my first monsoon and taste for exotic spices.

The monsoon winds are responsible for the lush vegetation in India especially surrounding Bendamurlanka. The monsoon winds and rain affect all aspects of Indian life. Ancient temples are built with sloping roofs to protect the buildings against the torrential downpour. The monsoon winds blow from the coast of Africa through the Arabian Sea bringing rain to the Western coast of India. It is said that early sailors used these winds to develop the trade routes between India and the rest of the world. The complex network of sailing ships, dependent on seasonal monsoon winds, carried cargoes from India and Southeast Asia to ports throughout the ancient world. The routes along the monsoon winds brought the Indian world of fragrant and exotic spices to the rest of the world. Just like the monsoon winds brought a new world of spices to the far away lands, I also hope to expose visitors to a new world of cuisine.