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Custard (Spanish Crema Catalana)

spanish-catalanaCrema Catalana is a popular Spanish dessert made by baking a custard consisting of milk, cornstarch, and eggs in an oven. After baking and cooling, the dessert is sprinkled with sugar and broiled or burnt with a torch to create a crispy, burnt caramel top layer. Sometimes, crema Catalana may be flavoured with cinnamon, lemon, or orange zest. The dessert is also known as Crema de Sant Josep, since it is traditionally prepared on March 19, celebrating the saint. It is also the oldest European custard dessert, dating back to the 14th century. Crema Catalana has such a distinctive flavour that it is often used in the preparation of other desserts such as ice cream and torró, a nougat-like sweet. Crema Catalana an unpretentious yet rather elegant Catalan dessert. The base is a silky smooth egg custard made with milk, sugar, and egg yolks. It is thickened with cornstarch and traditionally flavoured with cinnamon and lemon zest. When it sets and chills, the custard is sprinkled with caster sugar, which is then caramelized until it forms a crackling shell on top of the creamy custard. Traditionally, this custard comes served in shallow clay ramekins. The recipe for Crema Catalana appears in medieval cookbooks, making it one of the oldest desserts in Spain. It remains one of the shining stars of Catalan cuisine and makes a delectable ending to any dining experience.

4¼ cups milk (1 L)
1/3 cup cornstarch (40 g)
5 egg yolks
1 stick cinnamon
lemon zest, freshly grated
¾ cup sugar (150 g)
¼ cup sugar, for sugar crust (50 g)

Pour the milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick and lemon zest. Heat the milk, but don't let it boil.

As it reaches boiling point, remove the milk from heat, cover it, and let it chill for 45 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch. Whisk until the mixture is creamy and all are well incorporated.

Drain the warm milk and combine it with a combination of sugar, eggs, and cornstarch. Heat the mixture and mix until the lumps disappear and the custard is smooth and silky. Do not let it boil. If some dry pockets remain, sieve the mixture before pouring it in the ramekins.

Pour the custard into clay ramekins. Cover with paper or cling film, and let them rest for a minimum of one hour, preferably overnight.

When the custards are chilled and completely set, pull them out of the fridge and let them reach room temperature.

Sprinkle the top of each custard with caster sugar. Twirl the ramekins to distribute the sugar equally. Using a blowtorch, caramelize the sugar until it is dark brown.

Serve as soon as the sugar crust sets.

Makes 4 servings.

Cook's Notes:

  • Tempering Egg Yolks: If you don't have time to slightly chill the milk before adding it to the egg yolk mixture, make sure to temper it by adding a small amount of warm milk to the egg yolks and then whisking it. Slowly, while mixing, add the rest of the milk.
  • Ramekins: When cooked, crema catalana is poured, chilled, and served in relatively shallow clay ramekins.
  • Chilling: When crema is cooked and poured into ramekins, each ramekin should be covered with plastic wrap or parchment paper to prevent the skin from forming on top.
  • Tempering the Custard: Before it is caramelized, the custard needs to be removed from the fridge and allowed to come at room temperature.
  • Caramelization: Crema catalana is traditionally caramelized with a specialized hot iron, but most modern interpretations use a simple cooking blowtorch. If none of these tools are available, turn on the oven, place the ramekins on a tray and position them right under the broiler. If you opt for the broiler method, make sure that the custard is well chilled and take it out of the fridge just before you put it in the oven. The broiler technique will result in a lighter-coloured sugar crust.
  • Sugar: To attain better caramelization, use caster sugar. It will melt faster, and the crust will be more leveled.
  • Sieve: The batter for crema catalana needs to be smooth and without any lumps. Mix the batter until all the lumps disappear or sieve the mixture before pouring it in the ramekins.
  • Flavourings: Traditional flavourings in crema catalana are cinnamon and lemon zest, while orange zest is also common. Vanilla is not traditional for crema catalana, though it is sometimes used. Less traditional versions also include chocolate, fresh fruit, or fruit preserves.