Chocolate Espresso Brulée - Mother Linda's

Ingredients

• 1 whole egg
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 oz. sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 star anise pods
• 1 vanilla bean, split open
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dark espresso
• 8 oz. milk chocolate (preferably El Rey’s Caoba or Valrhona’s Jivara)
• or a bittersweet chocolate (El Rey’s Bucare, Scharffen Berger 60 percent, or Guittard Onyx), chopped fine
• 1 cup white sugar
• cacao nibs (preferably Scharffen Berger)