Ingredients
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1.2 litres Whole Milk
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4 strips Orange Zest
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2 Cinnamon Stick
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pinch Salt
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8 large Egg Yolks
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200 g Granulated Sugarplus extra for caramelising
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65 g Cornflour
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2 tsp Vanilla Paste
Directions
Crema Catalana is the Spanish twist on Crème Brulee. This intrigued me as Crème Brulee has a special place in my heart and getting to play with a blow torch is quite good fun.
Crema Catalana is in fact lighter than Crème Brulee which is made with milk instead of cream making this almost a diet dessert! The other difference is that Crema Catalana has cinnamon and orange zest infused into the custard mixture. The house smelt delicious whilst making this.
A word of caution about this recipe I did burn myself making this, but that was from the hot custard splashing on me not playing with fire. If you don’t have a blow torch, you can pop the dishes under the grill instead.
There are quite a few recipes out there and some interesting YouTube videos too. I recommend this Food Network recipe.
Steps
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1
Done
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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 mins to infuse flavours. |
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2
Done
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In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the 200g sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the cornflour and whisk until thoroughly combined. |
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3
Done
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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. |
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4
Done
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Strain the custard into a large bowl and whisk in the vanilla. Divide the custard between 10 (140ml) ramekins and smooth the surfaces. Cool the custards slightly, then cover the ramekins with the cling film and refrigerate them until the custard is cold, at least 8 or up to 24 hrs. |
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5
Done
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To serve the crema catalana, sprinkle each ramekin evenly with two teaspoons of sugar. Use a kitchen torch to melt and caramelise the sugar until browned and crusty. Serve immediately. |
