Spain·Catalonia
Crema catalana
Catalan burnt cream
Egg-yolk custard flavoured with cinnamon and lemon, topped with a crust of burnt sugar that cracks under the spoon.
- Preparation
- 15 min
- Cooking
- 20 min
- Total time
- 4 h 35 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Servings
- 6
Chilling in the fridge: 4 h
Ingredients
Tap an ingredient to tick it off.
Preparation
Tips
- Do not let the custard boil: the yolks would split and it would turn grainy.
- Chill the custard well before caramelising; if it is warm, the sugar dissolves instead of forming a crust.
- Always caramelise at the last moment so the layer stays crisp.
- It cannot be frozen: it loses its texture.
Variations
- With some single cream alongside the milk, a richer version found in many cookbooks.
- With orange zest as well as lemon.
- Without cornflour, thickened only with the yolks and with a longer cooking time.
Story of the recipe
Crema catalana: where it comes from.
Crema catalana has precursors in medieval and Renaissance cookbooks from Catalonia, such as the Llibre de Sent Soví (14th century) and the Llibre del Coch (16th century). Those early recipes, however, did not yet have the burnt sugar layer, which according to the literature consulted is first documented in 1770.
The dessert is also known as "crema de Sant Josep" because of its association with St Joseph's Day, 19 March, and it has traditionally been served on Sundays and feast days. It is very similar to French crème brûlée, from which it is distinguished by its constant flavour of cinnamon and lemon.
By RecetarioMundo.