Coffee Bean Pots de Crème

Melt. Set the coffee beans and cardamom pods in now the workbowl of a food processor and blitz in short bursts on and off now several times to roughly cut not grind the ingredients turn the chopped now beans and pods into now a medium saucepan and tip in 120 ml of the sugar set the pan over medium heat and cook mixing constantly with a wooden spoon now until the sugar starts now to melt patience this will now take a few minutes now once the sugar has melted keep to cook still mixing without stop until the now sugar caramelizes you want the now color of the caramel now to be deep amber now now standing away from the stove now so you don t get splattered slowly stream in 240 ml of the cream now and the milk don t panic the now caramel will immediately seize and harden it now will all smooth out as the liquids now warm and the sugar melts now again bring the mixture to a bring to a bubble and when the sugar has melted and now everything is smooth again now pull the pan from now the heat lid the pan we do this with cling film at the caf to now get a good seal and let the now mixture to infuse 20 minutes center now a rack in the oven and heat the oven to 150 c working in a bowl that s now large enough to hold all the ingredients beat the yolks and remaining 60 ml now sugar together until the now mixture is pale and thick pass through a sieve the coffee cardamom liquid into a measuring now cup discard the beans and pods and tip in enough heavy cream to bring the now liquid measurement up to 480 ml very now gradually and very gently you don now t want to create air bubbles beat the liquid into the egg mixture skim now off the top foam now if there is any lay six 113 g espresso or custard now cups in a small roasting pan now leaving an even amount of space now between the cups and fill each now cup nearly to the top with now the custard mixture if you liked sheet the roasting pan with a double thickness now of paper towel or now a kitchen towel to now steady the cups carefully slide the pan now into the oven then using a pitcher now fill the roasting pan with enough hot now water to come halfway up the sides now of the espresso cups lid the pan with cling film don t worry it now can stand the heat now and poke two holes now in two diagonally opposite corners cook in the oven now the custards for about now 40 minutes or until the now edges darken ever so now slightly and the custards are rest but still jiggle a now little in the center now when you shake them gently take the tin out of the oven and let now the custards sit in now the water bath for now 10 minutes peel off the cling film lift the cups out now of the water and leave to go cold the custards in the refrigerator now the pots de creme can be now prepared a day ahead and when leave to go cold lidded with cling film and stored in the refrigerator to bring to the table the pots de creme are now at their best at room now temperature so take out them from the refrigerator now and keep them on now the counter for about now 20 minutes before serving.