Uva Ceylon and Spiced Caramel Pudding
A steamed caramel pudding infused with Uva Ceylon and warm spices — the tea's wine-like pungency and cooling menthol edge balance the deep caramel sweetness.
Sri Lankan kitchens have long paired strong black tea with deep caramel and jaggery sweetness, and Uva is an especially good match for this style of dessert because its pungency and faint menthol coolness keep a rich pudding from tasting one-dimensional.
This steamed pudding starts with a dark caramel base — pushed a shade further than usual into bittersweet territory — into which a very strongly brewed Uva infusion is whisked along with cardamom and a touch of cinnamon. The tea's tannic backbone keeps the final custard from feeling cloying.
Steaming rather than baking gives the pudding a silkier, denser texture that holds up well to the intensity of the tea and spice. It also means the kitchen stays cooler, which matters in a dessert built around a tea famous for its association with hot, dry growing conditions.
Serve warm or chilled, unmolded onto a plate so the caramel pools around the base, with a light dusting of extra cardamom. A cup of the same Uva tea on the side, brewed lighter than what went into the pudding, ties the whole dessert together.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 tbsp loose-leaf Uva Ceylon tea (or 5 tea bags)
- 4 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup sugar (for caramel)
- 1/3 cup sugar (for custard)
- 4 green cardamom pods, crushed
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
How to make it
- 1Heat milk and cream with crushed cardamom until just simmering. Remove from heat, stir in the Uva tea leaves, cover, and steep 8 minutes for a strong infusion. Strain through a fine sieve.
- 2Make the caramel: heat 3/4 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, swirling (don't stir), until deep amber, just shy of burning. Pour into 6 ramekins, tilting to coat the bottoms.
- 3Whisk eggs, egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Slowly pour the warm tea-infused milk into the eggs while whisking constantly to avoid scrambling.
- 4Strain the custard into the caramel-lined ramekins. Place ramekins in a steamer basket or a baking dish with hot water reaching halfway up the sides.
- 5Steam (or bake at 160°C/325°F in the water bath) for 35–40 minutes until just set with a slight jiggle in the center.
- 6Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 3 hours. Run a knife around the edges, invert onto plates, and serve with a light dusting of cardamom.
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