Brioche, Butterscotch & Cardamom Custard
Every now and then, I come across an Instagram post or reel of a dish made at a faraway restaurant or cafe that makes me drool all over my phone screen. And in those moments, I feel especially grateful that I’m a recipe developer, that I can reengineer most dishes just by looking at it, and eat things from the other ends of the world in the comfort of my own home.
And today, I’m recreating this banger of a dessert that I saw recently, made by one of my favourite restaurants in London — 26 Grains. It’s a dessert of caramelised brioche, cardamom custard, butterscotch, cardamom sugar.
I first made the cardamom custard by toasting and grinding up some cardamom, before steeping it in some cream and milk, together with a cinnamon stick. I then whisked eggs, sugar, salt, and cornstarch together, then poured in the spiced milk before cooking it until thick. The custard can then be kept warm, or chilled in the fridge for two completely different feels for the dish. (I can’t gauge the temperature of the custard through the IG reel, but I suspect a cold version works real nice!)
Next is the butterscotch, which comes together pretty simply just by cooking butter, brown sugar, and cream until it turns gooey. Then, all that’s left is take some bread, toast it in butter, give it a press for a crispy crust, and plop it onto the custard. Spoon on some butterscotch, sprinkle on the cardamom or cinnamon sugar, and that’s the dessert!
Faraway-food cravings, cured.
Brioche, Butterscotch & Cardamom Custard
Serves: 4
Total Cook Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients
4 thick slices of brioche or milk bread
120g (½ cup) unsalted butter
Cardamom custard:
160ml (⅔ cup) heavy cream
480ml (2 cups) milk
4 cardamom pods, toasted and ground into a powder
1 cinnamon stick, or 0.5g (¼ tsp) cinnamon powder
3 egg yolks
60g granulated sugar
20g (2 tbsp) cornstarch
Butterscotch:
45g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter
150g (¾ cup) dark brown sugar
2g (½ tsp) salt
120ml (½ cup) 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.
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