Scarlett WCrema Catalana
January 25th 2007 11:22
Crema Catalana
About Crema
crema is gas bubbles suspended in a liquid film, that has high "surface tension" between the water molecules. Crema should be compact and persistent: it should last 2 minutes before the suspended water molecules drain, the entrapped gas is released and the liquid underneath shows through.
About Crema Catalana
Crème catalana is sometimes claimed to be the predecessor of France’s crème brûlée, though many regions lay claim to the origin of the dessert. The main difference between the two are: crema catalana has cornstarch; crème brûlée doesn’t. And crema catalana is not baked in bain-marie, as crème brûlée is. On the other hand, crème brûlée is made with heavy cream, and crema catalana with milk.
Crema catalana is made with egg yolks, sugar, lemon, cinnamon, milk and cornstarch, forming a custard-like base. Traditionally, on St. Joseph’s Day, the privilege of making crema catalana is granted to grandmothers and maiden aunts.
This delicious Spanish pudding is a cross between a crème caramel and a crème brûlée. It is not as rich as a crème brûlée, but has a similar caramelized sugar topping.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4
475 ml / 2 cups milk
1 cinnamon stick
4 egg yolks
105 ml / 7 tablespoons caster sugar
25 ml / 1½ tablespoons cornflour
ground nutmeg
1. Put the milk in a pan with the lemon rind and cinnamon stick. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the lemon peel and cinnamon. Set aside.
2. Place the egg yolks and 45ml/3 tablespoons of the sugar in a bowl, and whisk until pale yellow. Add the cornflour and mix well. Stir in a few tablespoons of the hot milk, then add this mixture to the remaining milk. Return to the heat and cook gently, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until thickened and smooth. Do not let it boil. There should be no cornflour taste.
3. Pour into 4 shallow ovenproof dishes, about 13cm/5in in diameter. Leave to cool, then chill for a few hours, overnight if possible, until firm.
4. Before serving, sprinkle each pudding with a tablespoon of sugar and a little of the ground nutmeg. Preheat the grill to high. Place the puddings under the grill, on the highest shelf, and cook until the sugar caramelizes. This will only take a few seconds. Leave to cool for a few minutes before serving. (The caramel will only stay hard for about 30 minutes.)
Tips:
Use a sharp, serrated knife to slice the cooled biscuits, otherwise they will crumble.
**From “A Taste of the Mediterranean” and “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia” **
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