Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Pour the milk into a medium saucepan and add 1 tablespoon of sugar, cardamom, fennel seeds and bananas, mashing them into the milk.

Turn the heat to medium high. When it comes to a boil, turn the heat off and cover pan with a tight fitting lid. Leave to infuse for 15-20 minutes.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks with 1 tablespoon of sugar until thick and pale.

Using a fine sieve, strain the hot milk and slowly pour it into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from scrambling.

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon – about 3-5 minutes.

Pour the mixture into 4 shallow crème brûlée dishes or ramekins.

Place the dishes in a baking pan large enough to accommodate them all.

Then, pour enough water into the pan to come halfway up the dishes. (This is called a making a bain marie or a water bath) Be careful not to splash any water into the crème brûlée dishes!

Bake for 30 minutes or so until set but still slightly giggly. If the dishes aren’t set at this point, continue to check them every 5 minutes until they are done.

Remove from the bain marie water bath and let cool slightly on the counter top. Then place the dishes in the refrigerator uncovered for about an hour.

Remove from refrigerator and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on top of each crème brûlée. Melt the sugar with a blowtorch or place under a broiler until the sugar has caramelized. (Make sure to keep a close eye on your dishes as not to burn them!) Serve immediately.