Creme Caramel With Saffron and Cardamom

Mix all the ingredients except the eggs and custard powder and gently bring to the boil, stirring all the time so that the milk doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. When it just starts to boil, take the pan off the heat. Continue stirring until the mixture has cooled down completely (if you stop stirring then a film of milk will build on the top which will spoil the smooth texture of the creme caramel). Once the mixture has cooled, add 1 tablespoon of the milk mixture to the custard powder to form a thin paste. Whilst continuously whisking the milk, add the custard paste followed by the whisked eggs. Whisk the mixture for about a minute and let it rest.

To make the caramel, heat the sugar and water in a pan until it reaches an amber color, stirring every now and then. Carefully divide the syrup amongst your ramekins, tilting the ramekins to make sugar the sugar coats the whole inside of the ramekin. You need to work fast as the syrup will harden quickly (if this happens just heat it in the microwave for a few seconds). Once the ramekins are coated, add the milk mixture to the ramekins, filling till nearly full. Cover each ramekin with foil. Place as many foil-covered ramekins as you can into a pressure cooker of boiling water (water should reach halfway up the ramekins). Close the pressure cooker and steam for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, open the pressure cooker and the tops of the creme caramels should be springy and slightly jiggly. Be careful not to overcook but if you feel that the creme caramel is too jiggly, then cook for a further minute or two only. Remove ramekins and cool on the counter completely before turning out. You can run a cold knife around each ramekin to aid in removal.

Creme caramels are best served cold and will keep in the fridge for a few days. This recipe yielded 7 individual creme caramels.