Preheat the oven to 300°F. Peel the fresh ginger and thinly slice into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Place ginger slices in a small saucepan and add Just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and drain off water reserve ginger.

In a large saucepan, heat the cream over medium-high heat until a film forms on the surface. Remove from heat and add the blanched ginger. Cover and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain and discard the ginger. Reheat the cream and stir in 3/4 cup of the sugar until the sugar dissolves.

Place the egg yolks in a bowl. Whisk until well blended. Add 1 cup of the hot cream to the yolk mixture and whisk to mix. Then pour the egg yolk mixture into the remaining cream and whisk together to blend completely. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a pitcher.

Arrange 8 flameproof, 3/4-cup custard dishes in a large baking pan. Evenly, distribute the egg mixture among the cups. Pour the boiling water into the baking pan to reach haifway up the sides of the custard dishes. Tightly cover the baking pan with aluminum foil. Bake until the custards are set, about 1 hour. Remove the custards from the pan, cool, cover, and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

Preheat the broiler. Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of the remaining sugar over the top of each custard. Place custard dishes in the broiler and broil, watching very carefully until the sugar melts and turns golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve within 30 minutes or the caramelized sugar will become soggy. Garnish with candied ginger.