Catalan Cream

La storia di questo piatto

Crema Catalana belongs to Catalonia, where custard, citrus and cinnamon have long shared the same table and the same sweet-toothed memory. It is a dessert of quiet confidence: a pale golden cream beneath a thin pane of burnt sugar, wearing its spice like a signature.

Ingredienti

• 500 ml Whole milk
• 5 pieces Egg yolks
• 80 g Granulated sugar
• 30 g Cornstarch (corn starch)
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• 1 piece Lemon zest
• 1 piece Orange zest
• 1 piece Cinnamon stick
• 40 g Sugar for caramelizing
• 1 pinch Salt

Preparazione

1. Put the milk in a small saucepan together with the lemon zest, the orange zest, the cinnamon stick and a pinch of salt. Heat until just before boiling, when the first small bubbles appear at the edges. Turn off the heat, cover and let it infuse for 10 minutes so the aromas pass into the milk.
2. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the 80 g of sugar, without overbeating, until the mixture is pale and smooth. Add the sifted cornstarch and the ground cinnamon and whisk until all lumps are gone.
3. Strain the milk through a fine sieve to remove the zests and cinnamon. If it has cooled in the meantime, reheat it briefly: it should be warm, around 60-70 °C. Pour it in a thin stream over the yolks, whisking constantly, so the heat is distributed gradually and the eggs do not cook suddenly and form lumps.
4. Transfer everything back to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and scraping the bottom well. After a few minutes the cream thickens and coats the back of the spoon. At that point let it simmer gently for 1-2 minutes, still stirring, to fully cook the starch and avoid a raw starchy taste. Remove from the heat when the cream is thick and glossy.
5. Pour the hot cream into the small serving dishes and let it cool to room temperature. Cover the surface with plastic wrap placed directly on it to prevent a skin from forming, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until firm and cold through to the center.
6. At serving time, spread the 40 g of sugar for caramelizing (about 10 g per dish) in a thin, even layer over the surface of each cream. Pass a kitchen torch or a very hot grill over it until the sugar melts and turns golden. Watch constantly, because only a few seconds separate perfect caramel from burnt caramel. Serve immediately: the crust should crack with a small crunch under the spoon.