Crema catalana with a thin, crisp sugar crust

4 small portions · Preparation: 15 min · Cooking: 15 min · Resting: 150 min

Times are guidelines; preheat during preparation where possible. Allow extra time to cool food before storing it.

Equipment

A saucepan, whisk, sieve, four shallow heatproof dishes holding 150 ml each and a kitchen blowtorch; follow its instructions.

Ingredients

• 500 ml whole milk
• 4 egg yolks from medium eggs
• 60 g caster sugar for the custard
• 20 g cornflour (corn starch)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 thin strips of washed lemon peel, about 5 cm long, without white pith
• 20 g caster sugar for the topping

Method

1. Reserve 100 ml cold milk. Heat the remaining 400 ml with the cinnamon and lemon peel until almost boiling. Turn off the heat and infuse for 10 minutes.
2. Mix the cornflour with the reserved cold milk until smooth. Whisk the yolks with 60 g sugar, then mix in the cornflour slurry.
3. Strain the warm milk. Gradually whisk it into the yolk mixture in small additions. Return everything to the pan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring continuously across the bottom and around the edges.
4. Once the custard is clearly thick and the first gentle bubbles appear, let it bubble gently for another 30 seconds while stirring. Remove immediately from the heat and divide between the dishes.
5. Let the steam escape for about 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate at 4 °C for at least 2 hours until completely cold. In any event, refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking.
6. Just before serving, sprinkle 5 g sugar evenly over each dish. Place on a heatproof surface and caramelise with the blowtorch following its instructions. Keep flammable items away. Let the crust harden for 1–2 minutes; it is very hot at first.