Crema catalana (catalan cream, the cousin of crème brûlée)

In need of an easy, tasty and soft dessert? You got it. This typical catalan dessert will solve your troubles for a last minute fancy dessert. Or not so fancy, but don't worry, your friends will think you spent hours making this. 

I find myself reading all over the place that this dessert is exactly the same as crème brûlée, but I'm gonna have to disagree. Even if the differences are little, there are indeed differences.

According to wikipedia ... Catalans claim that their crema catalana is the predecessor of France's crème brûlée, though many regions lay claim to the origin of the dessert. The chief difference between the two is that crema catalana is not baked in a bain-marie as crème brûlée is.

Also crème brûlée is usually served warm, whereas catalan cream is served cold. Both have a thin crust top of caramelized (burnt) sugar. A suitable alternative, at least in Catalonia, is a maria cookie (Spanish aisle of your supermarket has them, wicked cheap). Also, the custard in catalan cream is infused with lemon rind and cinnamon, while the French cousin is usually vanilla flavor. 

But really, who cares. Just make it, because it's easy, yummy and it takes no time. And whatever the name, you'll sure enjoy this. 

(Yaaay, this picture has been published in Foodgawker, finally I managed to get published! http://foodgawker.com/post/2010/06/03/62650/ )


The recipe is adapted from Cuina per a llaminers

Printable recipe

500 mL / 17 liq. oz (about 2 cups) whole milk
5 egg yolks
100 g / 3.5 oz granulated sugar
20 g / 4 teaspoons corn starch
1 cinnamon stick

Lemon rind, no white part

In a pot, combine the milk with half of the sugar, the cinnamon stick and the lemon rind. Bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for 5 minutes so the cinnamon and lemon infuse the milk. In the meantime, beat together the eggs, the rest of the sugar and the corn starch until ribbons form. Once the milk mixture is ready, fish out the cinnamon and lemon rind and add the milk to the egg mixture while constantly beating. You can temper the eggs first by adding a small amount of the milk while vigorously mixing. Bring the mix back to the pot and cook for a couple of minutes so it thickens. Divide the mix into four ramekins and let it cool until it reaches room temperature. Then transfer to the fridge to cool for a few hours or overnight. If you have a burner, before serving spread a small amount of sugar on the surface and burn it. If not, when transferring to the fridge, top the cream with a maria cookie.