Spain is not so famous for its desserts, but Spanish desserts can be just as wonderful as the meat and fish dishes. Today we will see one of the classic Spanish desserts: “Crema catalana”. This is a Catalan version of a “Crème Brûlée” and is basically just sweet, eggy milk that has been thickened with corn flour and topped with caramelized sugar. It is not a complicated dessert to prepare and is a joy to eat! Crema catalana is sometimes known as “Crema cremada” (“Burnt cream”) or “Crema de Sant Josep” and is traditionally served on Saint Joseph’s Day, March 19, although nowadays it is consumed at all times of year. The custard is flavored with lemon or orange zest, and cinnamon. Crema catalana has inspired some other Catalan dishes, including “Torró de crema”, consumed at Christmas, and Crema catalana liqueur.
“Crema catalana”
Ingredients for 6 people:
1 litre of milk
6 eggs
1 lemon rind
250 g of sugar
2 tablespoons of corn flour
6 tablespoons of sugar
Preparation:
Heat the milk in a pan with the lemon rind.
Beat the eggs with 250g of sugar. When the batter is frothy, add the corn flour, dissolved in a bit of cold milk, and continue beating until the batter is smooth.
When the milk starts to boil, remove the lemon rind and add the egg batter, little by little, stirring constantly.
Leave on a low heat for a few minutes, until it thickens, but don’t let it boil to avoid curdling.
Put into individual containers and let them cool down.
Put in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
Sprinkle with the rest of the sugar and put under the grill to caramelize the sugar.
