Cardamom Orange Crème Brûlée
This cardamom orange crème brûlée has vanilla bean paste, orange zest, and a caramelized sugar top for an easy, elegant dessert! This is one of my favorites to serve to a crowd or for a romantic dinner for two. Made from scratch in the oven, this recipe is make-ahead and the perfect dessert for beginners.
Ingredients
- 1 large orange
- 1 pt heavy whipping cream
- 5 egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar, divided
- 1/2 tsp freshly-ground cardamom
- 2 tbsp orange liqueur
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or 2 tsp. vanilla extract)
- Whipped cream and berries, for serving (optional)
Equipment
- 6 ramekins
- Cooking torch (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Then, start boiling a large kettle (or pot) of water.
- Peel the orange with a vegetable peeler, avoiding the bitter pith as much as possible. Place the orange peels in a pot, and add the heavy whipping cream. Simmer over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a simmer. Gently simmer for 2 minutes and remove from the heat. Cover with a lid and infuse for 5-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and 1/3 cup of the sugar in a large bowl until the mixture is thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes.
- Once the cream is infused, remove the orange peels from the heavy cream with the tines of a fork, and discard. While whisking vigorously, pour about a 1/2 cup of the orange-cream to the egg mixture to temper the eggs. Once tempered, slowly whisk in the remaining orange-cream until combined. Add the cardamom, orange liqueur, and vanilla bean paste (or extract).
- Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve and into a liquid measuring cup to remove any lumps or larger chunks of cardamom.
- Then, divide the custard evenly between six ramekins. Place the ramekins in a 9x13 cake pan or on a deep baking sheet. Place in the pre-heated oven and immediately pour the boiling water in the pan/baking sheet around the ramekins to create a water bath. Avoid pouring any water inside the actual crème brûlée! You will want the water to come about halfway up the ramekins.
- Bake, checking for doneness around 30-40 minutes. The crème brûlée is done when it's set but still a bit jiggly. Do not let the custard boil or brown! When they are finished baking, remove the crème brûlées from the oven by sliding a large spatula under each ramekin. Let them cool at room-temperature for about 1 hour, and then refrigerate for at least one hour to chill.
- Right before serving, sprinkle each custard with about 1-2 Tablespoons of the remaining sugar. Using a torch, caramelize the sugar until it's melted and golden-brown with some darker spots (I personally like mine extra caramelized).
- Serve immediately with whipped cream and berries, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
I recommend freshly-ground cardamom for the best flavor, but you can use pre-ground in a pinch.
Usually, I use Triple Sec but any orange liqueur will do. Bourbon, rum, or amaretto would be delicious too.
You can also caramelize the sugar under a broiler in the oven. Place the oven rack as close to the top of your oven as possible and broil for 5-10 minutes, occasionally rotating the pan, until the sugar is evenly melted and browned.
Serving: 1crème brûlée, Calories: 415kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 3.9g, Fat: 33.4g, Saturated Fat: 19.8g, Cholesterol: 284mg, Sodium: 40mg, Potassium: 91mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 20.2g, Calcium: 79mg
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