Cardamom Risotto Brûlée
By: Sophie32
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009 - 5:43pm

Ingredients




5 green cardamom pods
25 gr of butter
100 gr of Risotto rice / I used Arborio rice
25 gr of caster sugar
600 ml of semi - skinned milk
43 gr of sultanas
For the brûlée topping: 50 gr of caster sugar / The finer the sugar, the better

Preparation

1 On a chopping board, split the 5 green Cardamom pods open in 2. Remove the husks & place the seeds in a pestle & mortar. Crush them finely into a powder. You will smell a lovely aroma!! 2 Take a medium cooking pot & heat up on medium. Place the butter into the pot & let it melt. 3 When melted & sizzling hot, add the crushed cardamom powder, fry for a few seconds & stir frequently. 4 Now, add the arborio rice & the sugar. Stir well.  Fry for a few seconds more & then pour in the milk: all of it!! 5 Now, bring to the boil. Now, simer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently because you do not want a skin to form onto the milk mixture!!!You will see that the mix will begin to thicken!! 6 After those 15 minutes, add the sultanas. Stir well & frequently. Fry for another 10 minutes. By then the risotto wil me moist, the risotto will be creamy & the rice will be cooked. If not, fry & stir for another 5 minutes or so. Turn the heat off. 7 Spoon into little ramekins. In my case, I could fill 3,5 ramekins of 100 ml. Put clingfilm on top of each. 8 I put mine the fridge to use later. 9 Keep in mind when you put them in the fridge to eat them later, that the risotto will stif up. So, when the risotto is moist & ready, off the heat,  add a bit of milk to the pot & stir well. Then spoon the risotto into the ramekins. Use  oven ramekins. 10 When you are ready to eat them, take out of the fridge. 11 Take your caster sugar. Divide evenly over the ramekins. 12 Take your Crème brûlée brander. Grill the sugar. Grill until evenly browned & until it has formed a thick brown & golden sugar layer. 13 If you do not have that, put it onder the grill for a few minutes until the sugar has caramelised. Cool a little before serving. 14 Enjoy!!! The risotto is creamy & so lovely!!! The cardamom is subtile & yummie!!

About


I just love desserts with cardamom in it.You have black & green cardamom pods.
Cardamoms are the seed pods from a tall shrub native to India & Sri Lanka.
To ensure, the pods stay whole, they are picked by hand which is why cardamoms are almost as expensive as saffron! 
Green Cardamom pods should be fat & green in colour. It is best to buy whole Cardemom pods. You can slice the pods open in 2 & use the seeds. I put them in a pestle & mortar to crush them finely & then use it in desserts.
Each Cardemom pod includes little, darkbrown  or black & sticky seeds. The stickyness is the hardest evidence of its freshness!!!
In India, Cardemom has been used for over more then 2000 years!!
Cardemom pods keep well for a year in an airtight pot. But its taste & colour will deteriorate in time.
Cardemom is used in Indian desserts like Kulfi, in tea, desserts, cakes, cookies, etc.
It is also used in food like in Korma's, massalas, curry powders,etc.
I buy them in 50 gr plastic bags in the Indian food shop.