Photo: Crema Catalana Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 cups milk
- 4 strips orange zest
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- Pinch salt
- 8 large egg yolks
- 1 cup sugar, plus extra for caramelizing
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
Special equipment: 10 (5-ounce) ramekins
In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, orange zest, cinnamon sticks, and salt to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes to infuse flavors. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the 1 cup of sugar until pale and fluffy. Whisk the cornstarch with 1/2 cup water to make a slurry and whisk until thoroughly combined.
Remove and discard the orange zest and cinnamon sticks from the milk. Whisking constantly, gradually add the milk to the egg yolk mixture. Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly to thicken, about 3 to 5 minutes. Strain the custard into a large bowl and whisk in the vanilla. Divide the custard between 10 (5-ounce) ramekins and smooth the surfaces. Cool the custards slightly, then cover the ramekins with the plastic wrap and refrigerate them until the custard is cold, at least 8 or up to 24 hours
To serve the crema catalana, sprinkle each ramekin evenly with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Use a kitchen torch to melt and caramelize the sugar until browned and crusty. Serve immediately.
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By KTandAL
Washington state
on November 11, 2010
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I am curious. The last words in this recipe state to serve immediately..... Does this mean you can't make this ahead of time? Does this mean it has to be eatten immediately and can't be stored? I want to make this recipe so much but not if I can't make it ahead and store it once cooked. This looks a nice recipe.
By napadanby_4545028
Napa, CA
on February 22, 2009
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So stated my creme brulee fans. This sets just fine if you follow the recommendations of previous reviewers. The essential step is to set aside 1/2 cup of the milk in a small bowl, and slowly whisk in the cornstarch. Once the hot liquid has been added to the eggs to temper, rewhisk the cornstarch mixture, then whisk it into the egg/milk mix before it goes back to the pan. Also whip the yolks and sugar in a stand mixer, if available, to the pale yellow ribbon stage. Finally, when the mixture starts to thicken, it's done; don't wait too long, as it will really set up and be difficult to portion out. I did this, and had to push it through the sieve with a rubber spatula. But the finished texture and flavor were great. I also substituted lemon zest for most of the orange zest. Served it with "Cat's Tongue" cookies from "The International Cookie Cookbook (Nancy Baggett, and it was a big hit (the cookies were a great match.
By pintosheryl_100...
Fairfax, VA
on March 25, 2008
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I made this with 1 cup of milk and I had to mix the cornstarch with a bit of water before adding it to the milk. An amazing result but the process failed miserably when I repeated with 5 cups milk. Ended up tasting very pasty.
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