One thing I love about holidays in Spain are the long, leisurely lunches. I’ll work my way through a menú del día, and nine times out of 10 there’ll be a crema catalana for dessert, a simple custard pudding scented with cinnamon and citrus. It is, of course, very similar to creme brulee, the main differences being that crema catalana is thickened with cornflour and isn’t baked, making it a little more forgiving and much quicker to prepare.
Crema catalana
Prep 5 min
Infuse 20 min
Cook 30 min
Chill 3 hr+
Makes 4
550ml milk
1 cinnamon stick
Pared zest of ½ orange
Pared zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
A pinch of salt
6 egg yolks
80g caster sugar, plus extra to finish
2 tbsp cornflour
Pour the milk into a small saucepan, add the cinnamon stick, orange and lemon peel, the vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Put on a gentle heat until hot and steaming, but not bubbling. Take off the heat, pour into a bowl, cover and leave to infuse for 20 minutes. Strain the milk back into the saucepan and discard the aromatics.
Reheat the milk until hot but not boiling. Put the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl and whisk smooth. Whisk the hot milk into the egg bowl a little at a time, then pour back into the saucepan and cook, stirring continuously, over a low-medium heat. Once the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon and starts to bubble a little, pour it through a sieve into four ramekins.
Lay a circle of greaseproof paper or clingfilm directly on the surface of each custard and set aside to cool to room temperature. Transfer to the fridge and chill for three to four hours, until set.
To serve, sprinkle the tops with caster sugar and put under a hot grill (or use a blowtorch), to caramelise the tops.
