posted by Gecko 04-26-101 5:16 PM
From Good Housekeeping May 2000 - "In the GH Kitchen with Daniel Boulud"
Coffee-Cardamom Pots de Creme
1 cup whole coffee beans, preferably espresso roast (about 3 ounces)
30 whole cardamom pods
3/4-cup sugar
About l l/2 cups heavy or whipping cream
1-cup milk
7 large egg yolks
In food processor with knife-blade attached, pulse coffee beans and cardamom pods about 10 times to roughly chop (you don't want to grind beans).
In 2-quart saucepan, cook 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, swirling sugar in skillet when sugar begins to melt. Continue cooking and swirling until sugar melts completely and turns a deep-amber color. Stir in chopped coffee-bean mixture; cook 30 seconds longer, stirring. Slowly pour 1-cup cream into caramelized mixture. (The caramel will seize and harden, then melt into cream as it cooks.) Heat cream mixture to boiling over medium heat. Remove saucepan from heat; cover and let stand 15 minutes. Stir in milk; cover and let stand 5 minutes longer.
Preheat oven to 300°F. In medium bowl, with wire whisk, blend egg yolks with remaining 1/4 cup sugar.
Using fine mesh sieve, strain milk mixture into 4-cup-glass measuring cup. With rubber spatula or back of spoon, press firmly on coffee-bean mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids in sieve. To milk mixture in cup; add enough heavy cream to equal 2 cups liquid in total. Gently whisk milk mixture into egg- yolk mixture. Skim any foam from top.
Place eight 4-ounce heat-safe espresso or custard cups in medium roasting pan (14" by 10"). Pour custard mixture into cups. Place roasting pan on rack in oven. Fill roasting pan with enough boiling water to come halfway up sides of espresso cups. Cover pan tightly with foil; poke two holes in two opposite corners of foil. Bake custards 30 to 35 minutes or until edges of custards darken slightly but custards still jiggle slightly in centers when gently shaken.
Remove covered pan from oven. Let pots de crème stand 10 minutes in water bath. Remove foil from pan. Remove pots de crème from water bath and place in 13" by 9" metal baking pan. Refrigerate pots de crème until cool, about 2 hours, then cover with plastic wrap.
To serve, remove pots de crème from refrigerator 20 minutes before serving.
You can prepare and refrigerate custards up to two days ahead.
PREP: 35 minutes plus chilling
COOK: about 30 minutes
MAKES: 8 servings