Spain Dessert – Crema Catalana

For our Spanish dessert, Crema Catalana caught our eye. It is essentially a firm custard with a burnt sugar crust on top — so it gave us a great excuse to buy a blowtorch! This is definitely one we will be making again, as it keeps really well too.

The custard base is made from egg yolks, sugar, cream, milk, lemon zest and a cinnamon stick — all gently heated together until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. The lemon and cinnamon are what distinguishes Crema Catalana from its French cousin, Crème Brûlée.

The custard was poured into ramekins and left to set in the fridge overnight. The longer you can leave it, the better — it firms up beautifully and the flavours deepen.

Then it was time for the fun bit! The top of each crema was covered in caster sugar and caramelised with the blowtorch until perfectly golden and glassy.

The crack of the caramelised sugar crust was deeply satisfying! This really was the part that gave it the edge into being a truly special dessert.

A delicious end to Spain week — let us know if you give this a go!