How to make
The Traditional Spanish Catalan Cream comes from the region of Catalonia, which is implied by its name.
It is often confused with French creme brulee, but this is only due to the fact that they look alike. Indeed, the two creams are different and every connoisseur will notice it, even just by looking at the products used for both creams.
Only milk is added to the Catalan cream, while Creme Brulee is made with cream or 50/50 milk and cream.
The Spanish cream also has aromas such as cinnamon and citrus peels, which are absent in Creme Brulee.
The addition of a little starch is also what the Catalan cream is distinguished by. Here it is important to note that some recipes mistakenly require not cornstarch but flour and this greatly changes the original consistency of the real Catalan cream. So do not replace starch with corn flour if you want an authentic result.
After this brief explanation, here is the description of how to prepare Catalan cream.
1. Heat the milk with the citrus peels and cinnamon. When it is ready to boil, remove it from the heat and allow the temperature to drop to 210°F (100 degrees). Strain it to remove the lemon and orange peels, as well as cinnamon.
2. Beat the yolks along with the starch, vanilla sugar and 7 oz (200 grams) of ordinary sugar. At first the mixture will look thick, but as you stir vigorously, the sugar will melt and liquefy.
3. Put part of the egg mixture with the milk and place it back on the stove over low heat - 190°F (90 degrees), by adding the remaining yolks, while stirring constantly.
4. Boil the cream for 13 minutes, while stirring. It will thicken slowly, so be patient and increase the time by 1-2 minutes, if necessary.
5. Pour the delicious egg custard into shallow molds of clay, glass or porcelain ones (traditionally served in clay, but can also be in different and modern molds, as long as they are shallow).
Leave them to cool for at least 20 minutes. It's best if you leave them for about 4 hours in the refrigerator, but that's if you have time.
6. Sprinkle the cream with the remaining 3.5 oz (100 grams) of sugar when it has cooled and set and caramelize it with a kitchen burner.
Serve the authentic Catalan Cream once you caramelize the sugar to make the crust crunchy.
Enjoy!
