How could we be a Catalan newspaper with a gastronomy section and not tell you how to make this dish? Crema catalana - it's even got "Catalan" in the name. Closely related to the (whisper it) perhaps better-known crème brûlée, it's custard with a caramelised sugar topping. The Catalan version, however, gives its custard a hint of cinnamon and citrus.
Showing El Nacional the recipe is Eddi Arteaga, head pastry chef at the restaurant Caelis in Barcelona. For an even more luxury version, he recommends serving each portion with a scoop of lemon sorbet or vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients for 6 servings:
- 35% (whipping) cream - 620g / 22oz
- milk - 620g / 22oz
- sugar - 350g / 12oz
- egg yolks - 6
- cinnamon - half a stick
- lemon
Recipe:
- Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan
- Break the cinnamon stick in half and add it to the saucepan
- Zest half the lemon in broad strips (see video) and add that too
- Bring this mixture to the boil, stirring to avoid it burning
- Reduce the temperature to a low simmer for 30 minutes
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks
- Dissolve in about a quarter of the sugar (to taste)
- Add the milk and cream mixture to the eggs and sugar bit by bit to avoid scrambling the eggs, whisking in each batch and sieving out the cinnamon and lemon
- Return the mixture to the saucepan and put it back on a medium heat, whisking continuously
- When the custard starts to thicken, remove it from the heat but keep whisking
- Pour the custard into serving dishes and bake at 180ºC/350ºF for ten minutes
- Remove the dishes from the oven and cool them in the fridge for two hours
- Spread the sugar over evenly and caramelise it with a blowtorch or under the grill/broiler