From “The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook,” by Matt and Ted Lee (W.W. Norton & Co., 2006). Makes 6 servings.
Ingredients
2 cups half-and-half
2 tablespoons fragrant loose tea, such as jasmine, or 1 1/2tea bags
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, plus more for dusting
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for greasing ramekins
Light brown sugar, for garnish
Directions
Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Place half-and-half into a small saucepan and bring it almost to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.
Place loose tea or tea bags in the bottom of a small saucepan and pour a splash of boiling water to soften tea leaves. Add sugar and stir.
Remove half-and-half from heat when it begins to froth and simmer. Pour it over the sugar and tea. Stir twice, cover the pan and place it in the refrigerator or freezer to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Strain the loose tea or remove the tea bags.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease six 6-ounce ramekins with butter and dust them with sugar.
Whisk 2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks briskly in a medium bowl, until uniformly lemon-yellow in color. Stir in tea mixture until just blended.
Strain mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and pour into ramekins. Place ramekins in a large baking pan and carefully pour hot water into the pan to reach halfway up their sides. Bake for 40 minutes, until custards appear firm and a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes away clean.
Remove pan from the oven and the ramekins from the pan. Dust tops of custards with a few pinches of brown sugar and serve immediately, or refrigerate until cool.
