Catalonia · 2,5 h · Vegetarian · Dessert · For confident cooks
Crema Catalana
In German: Katalanische Creme · In English: Catalan cream
For 4 servings · US units
Catalan custard with cinnamon and lemon under a cracking sugar crust
Crema Catalana comes from Catalonia, and it lives on contrast: a cool, barely-set custard beneath a layer of sugar caramelised so freshly that it cracks under the first spoon. Milk, egg yolks, cinnamon and lemon zest — nothing more, which is exactly why the slow stirring at the stove is worth it. A dessert for any time of year, best carried to the table straight after the sugar has been burnt.
Ingredients
- 4egg yolksbinds the cream
- 3½ ozsugarfor the cream
- 1 ozcornstarchstir smooth with cold milk
- 2½ cupsmilkwhole milk
- 1cinnamon stickinfuses the milk, removed afterwards
- 1lemonzest only
- 4 tbspSugarfor the caramel crust, 1 tbsp per ramekin
- 1Vanillaseeds, as extra flavour instead of or besides cinnamon (optional)
Method
- Stir the cornstarch smooth with a few tablespoons of the cold milk and set it aside.
- Bring the rest of the milk to the boil with the cinnamon stick, let it infuse briefly, then lift out the cinnamon stick. If you like, add the seeds of the half vanilla pod to the milk at this point.
- Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and creamy and the sugar has fully dissolved.
- Pour the hot milk through a sieve into the yolk mixture, stirring as you go, then add the grated lemon zest and the slaked cornstarch.
- Return everything to the pan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches just below boiling point and the custard thickens — it must not boil.
- Pour the custard into shallow heatproof ramekins, let it cool to room temperature, then cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Just before serving, scatter 1 tbsp of sugar evenly over each ramekin and caramelise under a preheated grill at 480 °F for 2–3 minutes, until golden brown.
- Let the ramekins stand for a moment so the sugar crust sets firm, and serve straight away.
Tips and variations
Instead of the oven grill you can burn the crust with a kitchen blowtorch — that way you can even torch the custard right after it has set and let it cool afterwards. The flavouring is up to you: vanilla seeds in place of the cinnamon stick, with cinnamon only as a powder, or a little grated orange zest alongside. For a caramel note in the custard itself, caramelise the sugar first and deglaze it with the milk. The custard also works in bigger formats: as a cake with sponge layers, custard set with gelatine and cream, raspberries and torched icing sugar on top, or as cupcakes with vanilla custard in the batter and a cream-custard topping drizzled with caramel. It looks best in shallow ramekins, brought to the table while the crust still cracks.
Allergens
Contains: Eggs, Milk (including lactose)
Not every ingredient in this recipe has been checked, so nothing is promised as free from.
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
