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Three ramekins filled with masala chai creme brûlée, one with it's top cracked open to reveal the creamy inside
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4.67 / 6 votes

Masala Chai Crème Brûlée

This masala chai crème brûlèe infuses your favorite tea spices into its creamy base and covers it with a shatteringly crunchy caramelized sugar topping.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Chilling time3 hours
Total Time3 hours 55 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 369

Equipment

  • Ramekins; kitchen blow-torch (optional)

Ingredients

  • 3 cloves
  • 5 cardamom pods, seeds removed
  • 1 cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 2 Indian masala chai tea bags or 2 teaspoons loose chai tea
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 cup plus 5 tablespoons superfine sugar, or just blitz granulated sugar in a blender until finely ground but not powdery
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
US - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C).
  • In a spice or coffee grinder or using a mortar and pestle, combine the cloves, cardamom seeds, and cinnamon and grind to a fine powder.
  • In a large pot set over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, tea bags, ginger, and spices and stir to mix well. Bring almost to a boil and then reduce the heat and gently simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine-meshed strainer or cheesecloth into a large measuring cup.
  • In a large bowl, whisk 1/2 cup sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, very slowly pour the strained cream into the egg mixture.
  • Place 4 to 6 ramekins in a shallow roasting pan. Divide the custard mixture evenly among the ramekins. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the custard is just set with a slight wobble in the center of each, 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the dish.
  • Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate the custards at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
  • When ready to serve, evenly sprinkle the remaining 5 tablespoons sugar over the custards so it covers the surface. Carefully caramelize with a kitchen blowtorch or, if using ovenproof dishes, adjust the oven rack 4 inches (10 cm) beneath the broiler and preheat the broiler. Blowtorch or broil until the sugar is evenly browned and melted into glass. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 243mg | Sodium: 35mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g