Instant Pot Rose & Cardamom Crème Brûlée

“Be brave enough to be bad at something new.”

Well, I feel personally victimized by that quote. (Oh you know the infamous mean girls line, anyone? anyone?)

I hate to admit it, but often times the fear of failure holds me back in trying out something new. And why not? Right? It’s uncomfortable. It’s foreign. It’s part of the unknown. There is a chance I may not be good at it, and who wants to waste their time on something that may not turn out as expected?And in that statement, lies the problem. The problem lies within the wiring of my thoughts on trying something new & failure. That is what I have come to realize. Failure to me is not trying at all. That is failure. Stopping yourself from doing something because you are afraid to fail – is failure in itself!

Yup – you guessed it! I was freakishly intimidated in trying out a crème brûlée. But I had ordered a kitchen torch off of amazon & I did not want it to go to waste. And truth be told like a kid with a shiny new toy, I was elated to try it out!! So I did what any one else would have done….I put it off. Finally one day, as I am cleaning the kitchen (just call me cinderella), I spot my instant pot on the counter. It is then it hit me: “WHY the F$#% not?!” A great enlightenment had occurred. As I say about hot sauce: “I use that s#*$ on everything.” Well I kind off use my instant pot for everything so why not for crème brûlée?! I mean, there’s time to fail at both! (Joke)

And so it began. The instant pot crème brûlée. This recipe is for the “I can’t even” in us. Quick, simple & easy! And not intimidating whatsoever!

This recipe takes a classic crème brûlée recipe and adds a bit of jazz to it. Giving it a flavorful flare, but not taking away from a classic crème brûlée taste. Oh and the best part is the burnt sugar! Oh gosh so heavenly! Make sure to read the entire recipe & directions first, as there are some tips and tricks that may help you.

Instant Pot Rose & Cardamom Crème Brûlée

Smooth, Sweet & Heavenly

Prep Time 5 hours

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 6 egg yolks
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 6 tbsps cane sugar or granulated*
• 3 tsps rose water
• 1.5 tsps cardamom powder

For caramelized sugar topping:

• 6 tbsps cane sugar separated, 1 tbsp for each ramekin

Instructions

1. Separate out the egg yolks from the whites into two different bowls. Set aside the egg yolks, and use egg whites as desired.
2. In a large microwave safe measuring cup (or bowl), mix together heavy cream, sugar, rose water & cardamom. Pop in the microwave for 50 seconds.
3. Once heavy cream mixture has been warmed up in the microwave, slowly add the egg yolks into the warm heavy cream mixture. Whisk together. Continue to whisk until egg yolks are no longer visible and completely blended in. Be careful not over mix. Mix just enough so that the egg yolks have been incorporated in with the heavy cream mixture.

4. Pour the mixture into 6 6oz ramekins, until ~85-90% full. Wrap the ramekins with aluminum foil. Add 1 cup of cold water to the instant pot and then place your trivet (or can use an egg holder accessory). Place 4 ramekins on top of the trivet and then stack the remaining 2 on top. Please note if your instant pot is a different QT size – you may need to bake 3 at a time, or adjust the stacking. Making sure the valve is set to sealing, pressure cook on high pressure for 12 minutes, then a natural release for 10 mins. (Natural release means, do not do anything, once the high pressure timer stops, a new timer will start, once that timer hits 10 mins, turn the valve down and do a quick release) Finally, do a quick release for any remaining pressure, then carefully open the lid and take out the ramekins.

5. Place ramekins on a cooling rack. The centers should be slightly jiggly, while the edges are set. Should have a jello ish consistency when still hot. If the entire mixture is jiggly, place back into instant pot on high pressure for 5 minutes, then do a quick release. Allow ramekins to cool to room temperature. Cover with foil once cooled & place in refrigerator for ~5 hours or overnight. These are the perfect treats to prep the night before!

6. A couple hours before you want to serve the crème brûlées: take a tablespoon of sugar and spread evenly on top of each ramekin (1 tbsp of sugar per ramekin). Using a torch on the low/medium setting, start to caramelize the sugar for a crispy top. You want the sugar to have some brown spots! Let the crème brûlée sit for ~3 minutes and then place foil back on top. Store in refrigerator for ~2 hours before serving.

Recipe Notes

• You will need a trivet accessory or can an egg holder accessory for the instant pot.
• The custard portion of this recipe is best made overnight and refrigerated. 
• The sugar can be caramelized a couple of hours before serving for best taste and texture. 
• Click here for the link to the kitchen torch I used. 
• For the sugar on top(to caramelize), I used cane sugar and I found that works the best with the torch, but you can use granulated sugar as well!