Crema Catalana

Method9 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Wash the orange and lemon and remove their coloured zest without the bitter white pith. Put all the milk (400ml), cream (150ml), cinnamon stick (1) and citrus zest in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir often for three to five minutes until the milk is steaming but not boiling.

   Uses 400ml Milk · 150ml Double Cream · 1 Cinnamon Stick · Zest of 1 orange, prepared in step 1 · Zest of 1 lemon, prepared in step 1

2. 2

   Step 2: Take the saucepan off the heat, cover with a plate and leave the dairy and aromatics to infuse for at least thirty minutes.

   Minimum covered dairy infusion · 30 minUses All warm infused dairy with cinnamon and zest

3. 3

   Step 3: Whisk all seven yolks with the 100 g custard sugar and all the cornstarch in a separate bowl for three to five minutes, until light and pale. Pour the actual infused milk and cream through a sieve into the yolk mixture while whisking continuously; discard the cinnamon and zest left in the sieve.

   Uses All infused milk and cream, strained into the egg mixture · 7 Egg Yolks · 100 g caster sugar for custard · 45 g cornflour (pure cornstarch) for custard

4. 4

   Step 4: Return the complete tempered mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl so none of the custard is left behind.

   Uses All combined uncooked custard mixture

5. 5

   Step 5: Whisk continuously over medium-high heat for around ten to twelve minutes until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon; adjust the heat as needed to avoid scorching. Check the egg custard is fully cooked, reaching at least 71°C / 160°F.

   Uses The complete saucepan custard mixture

6. 6

   Step 6: Dip a wooden spoon in the cooked custard. Let the spoon coating cool enough to touch, then draw a finger through it; the line should hold. Continue the cooking if it does not. Sieve the finished custard into a jug to remove froth.

   Uses All cooked custard

7. 7

   Step 7: Divide the complete custard between six 150 ml ramekins or small terracotta dishes. Leave to cool for one hour at room temperature until set with a slight wobble, then refrigerate overnight.

   Cool ramekins for 1 hour before overnight refrigeration · 60 minUses All strained cooked custard

8. 8

   Step 8: Just before serving, sprinkle one tablespoon from the separate topping sugar (6 tbsp) over each of the six cold custards. Caramelise with a kitchen blowtorch, or briefly under a hot grill, until the sugar is golden and bubbling.

   Uses All six chilled custards · 6 tbsp separate caster sugar for caramel tops: 1 tbsp per ramekin

9. 9

   Step 9: Serve all six crema catalana custards straightaway while the caramel tops are crisp.

   Uses All six finished crema catalana ramekins