Description
Silky baked chocolate custards infused with green cardamom, served chilled and finished with a glossy brown-butter maple drizzle.
Ingredients
- Heavy cream: 2 cups (480 ml)
- Whole milk: 1/2 cup (120 ml)
- Ground green cardamom: 1 tsp (about 2 g)
- Granulated sugar: 1/4 cup (50 g)
- Semi-sweet chocolate (chips or chopped): 6 oz (170 g)
- Egg yolks: 4 large
- Vanilla extract: 1 tsp (5 ml)
- Fine salt: a pinch (about 1/8 tsp)
- Brown-butter maple drizzle:
- Unsalted butter: 4 tbsp (57 g)
- Maple syrup: 2 tbsp (30 ml)
- Heavy cream (or whole milk): 1 tsp to 1 tbsp (5 to 15 ml), as needed for drizzling
- Flaky sea salt (optional): 1 small pinch
Instructions
- Heat the oven and water bath: Heat oven to 325°F (160°C). Place 4 (4–6 oz / 120–180 ml) ramekins in a deep baking dish. Pour enough hot water into the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins (careful not to splash into the ramekins). Set aside.
- Infuse the dairy: In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine heavy cream and milk. Stir in ground green cardamom and sugar. Heat until steaming and fragrant but not boiling (small bubbles at the edges are okay), about 3–5 minutes.
- Melt chocolate: Remove the saucepan from heat. Add chopped/semi-sweet chocolate and whisk until fully smooth and glossy. Stir in salt and vanilla.
- Temper the yolks: In a bowl, whisk egg yolks. While whisking, slowly pour a small stream of the warm chocolate mixture into the yolks (start with 1–2 tablespoons, then add more). This raises yolk temperature without scrambling.
- Combine: Pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan. Whisk gently until smooth.
- Fill ramekins: Carefully remove the ramekins from the baking dish (or work in place with care) and pour custard into each ramekin. Return to the water bath.
- Bake: Bake at 325°F (160°C) for 18–24 minutes, until edges look set and the centers wobble like soft set pudding when you gently shake the dish (not liquid slosh).
- Cool: Remove ramekins from the water bath. Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours (overnight is best) to fully set.
- Make the brown-butter maple drizzle: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Continue cooking until it smells nutty and turns amber-brown, watching closely (about 2–4 minutes). Remove from heat; whisk in maple syrup. If it’s too thick to drizzle, whisk in 1 tsp to 1 tbsp (5–15 ml) cream until pourable.
- Serve: Uncover chilled pots. Drizzle each with brown-butter maple mixture. If using, add a tiny pinch of flaky salt on top. Serve cold.
Notes
Ramekin size matters: if yours are larger than 6 oz (180 ml), start checking 3–5 minutes earlier.
Cardamom strength: if you’re sensitive to spices, start with 3/4 tsp cardamom and bump up only if you want more aroma.
For extra-smooth custard, strain the chocolate mixture through a fine-mesh sieve after tempering.