Catalan Cream

La storia di questo piatto

Born in the amber light of Catalonia, this spiced cream carries centuries of Mediterranean soul — a dessert that whispers of Barcelona's stone alleyways, of grandmothers and firelit evenings where time moved slowly and sweetness was sacred.

Ingredienti

• 500 ml Whole milk
• 5 pieces Egg yolks
• 100 g Caster sugar
• 30 g Cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• 1 strip Lemon zest
• 1 strip Orange zest
• 1 piece Cinnamon stick
• 20 g Sugar for caramelizing
• 1 pinch Salt

Preparazione

1. Pour the milk into a small saucepan together with the lemon zest, orange zest, and cinnamon stick, and heat everything just until the moment before it comes to a boil, when you see the first tiny bubbles appearing around the edges. Turn off the heat and let it steep undisturbed for 10 minutes: this is the time it takes for the aromatics to fall in love with the milk and truly perfume it.
2. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 80g of sugar, whisking with vigor, until the mixture becomes pale like cream and full of tiny bubbles across the surface: this tells you that air has been properly incorporated and your cream will come out silky smooth. Fold in the cornstarch and ground cinnamon, stirring gently with a spoon so you don't deflate all the airiness you've just created.
3. Strain the milk through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the zests and cinnamon stick, which have now given up all their fragrance, then warm it slightly. Pour it in a thin, steady stream onto the egg yolks while whisking constantly: the secret is to pour slowly and deliberately, so the heat distributes gently and doesn't suddenly cook the eggs all at once, which is exactly what we want to avoid to prevent lumps from forming.
4. Transfer everything into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, making sure to reach the bottom where it tends to stick first. After 8 to 10 minutes the cream will thicken and coat the back of the spoon, meaning if you draw your finger across it a clean line remains: at that point it's ready, so remove it from the heat without waiting any longer.
5. Pour the warm cream into the small bowls in which you'll serve it and let it cool to room temperature without rushing. Then cover it with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface so that annoying skin doesn't form, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until it's completely set and cold all the way through.
6. When you're ready to serve, sprinkle the remaining sugar in a thin, even layer across the surface of each cream, like a light dusting of snow. Pass a torch or very hot grill over it until the sugar melts and becomes a golden, shiny, crispy mirror: watch it carefully, because only a few seconds separate the perfect caramel from a burnt one, and that little crust should crack with a satisfying snap under your spoon.