Ingredients
Yields: 4
- 4 thick slices of brioche or milk bread
- 120 g unsalted butter
Cardamom custard:
- 160 ml heavy cream
- 480 ml milk
- 4 cardamom pods - toasted and ground into a powder
- 1 cinnamon stick - or 0.5g (¼ tsp) cinnamon powder
- 3 egg yolks
- 60 g granulated sugar
- 20 g cornstarch
Butterscotch:
- 45 g unsalted butter
- 150 g dark brown sugar
- 2 g salt
- 120 ml heavy cream or whipping cream
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 big pinch cinnamon/cardamom powder
Method
Cardamom custard (part 1)
- In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, milk, cardamom powder, and cinnamon. Give it a stir, and place over medium heat and heat until it starts to steam. Lower down the heat and let this steep, covered, for 30 minutes, making sure it doesn’t come to a boil.
Cardamom custard (part 2)
- In a heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together for 2-3 minutes, until it turns thicker and pale. Next, add in the cornstarch and whisk until combined. Then, pour the spiced milk mixture through a sieve into the bowl, and whisk until everything is combined. Pour everything back into the saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat while whisking continuously. When the custard comes to a boil, let it cook for another 2-3 minutes, then transfer into a bowl or container. Immediately cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic touches the surface of the custard (this prevents a skin from forming). Then, you have two choices here, you can either chill this custard in the fridge until cold, or serve it warm. (I like it chilled.)
Butterscotch
- Put the butter, dark brown sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Place it over medium-high heat and cook until the butter and sugar is completely melted and dissolved into a thick caramel. Then, add in the heavy cream and turn the heat down to a simmer, whisking continuously and cooking it for 5 minutes until thick and syrupy. Then, take it off the heat and let cool to room temperature.
Bread
- Put 15g (1 tbsp) of butter into a pan, let it melt over medium heat, and put a slice of brioche onto the pan. Weigh down the brioche with a heavy plate or saucepan (this ensures an even crust on the bottom), and let it cook for 1-2 minutes, until the bottom is golden. Flip and repeat for the other side, then transfer onto a wire rack while you repeat this for the other bread slices.
Cinnamon sugar
- Mix icing sugar and cinnamon powder together in a small bowl.
Serve
- To serve, while the brioche slices are still on the wire rack, pour 2 tablespoons of butterscotch on top of each slice, and spread it gently with a spoon until the top surface of the brioche is completely covered. Then, put a big ladle of custard into a deep plate or flat-bottomed bowl, place the butterscotch-ed brioche on top, and dust with a teaspoon of cinnamon sugar on top.
