Orange spice cream

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 3 oranges
• 4 cardamom pods
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 star anise
• ½ chili pepper(s)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 4 tsp brown sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 2 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 3 hours 30 minutes

Great, elaborate dessert

Peel the zest from one orange in thin strips. Halve all the oranges and squeeze out the juice, taking care not to tear the peels. Cleanly scrape out any remaining flesh from the intact peels. Place the four prepared orange halves in the refrigerator. Press down the cardamom pods and briefly roast them in a small saucepan without oil along with the cinnamon, star anise, and deseeded chili pepper. Pour in the orange juice and slowly bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let it steep for a quarter of an hour. Pour the orange juice into a sieve and discard the spices and bits of pulp. Carefully mix the cornstarch with the cooled spiced juice and bring back to a boil. If you don’t have enough liquid to fill the orange halves later, add water or lemon juice accordingly. The juice will still have a quite spicy flavor from the anise and chili. In a new bowl, beat the egg yolks with the granulated sugar until frothy. Slowly pour in the hot spiced juice, stirring constantly. Add the orange zest. Continue heating gently in a bain-marie until the mixture thickens. Place the scraped orange halves in teacups or small bowls to secure their positions. Carefully fill the orange halves with the dessert mixture and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least two to three hours. Before serving, sprinkle the orange halves with brown sugar and caramelize it with a blowtorch or under the broiler.