Crema Catalana (Catalan Cream)
The classic Spanish custard dessert with a silky vanilla and citrus cream base topped with a crackling caramel crust. Made with egg yolks, milk, and cream, it is chilled overnight then caramelized with a kitchen torch just before serving.
Ingredients
- 250 mlmilk
- 250 gheavy cream
- 7 egg yolks
- 22 gcornstarch
- 85 gsugar
- 0.5 lemon
- 1 vanilla pod
- 2 tbspsugar for caramelizing
Method
- Combine milk, cream, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla pod in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until just below boiling. Remove from heat, cover, and infuse 10–15 minutes. Remove vanilla pod and zest.
- In a bowl, whisk egg yolks until pale and fluffy. Mix in cornstarch. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the yolks in a thin stream, whisking constantly.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve. Return to a clean saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thickened enough to coat the spoon, about 8–10 minutes. Do not boil.
- Pour into small ramekins. Cool to room temperature, then cover with film and refrigerate at least 3–4 hours, ideally overnight.
- Just before serving, sprinkle an even thin layer of sugar over each portion. Caramelize with a kitchen torch until a crisp golden crust forms, or place briefly under a hot grill.
FAQ
The main difference is the base: crema catalana is made with milk and cornstarch and is not baked in the oven — it sets on the stovetop like a custard. Creme brulee uses pure cream and is baked in a water bath. Crema catalana is simpler: no oven, no water bath, no ramekins required. Just a saucepan, refrigerator, and a kitchen torch. In texture, catalana is slightly firmer with a fresh lemon aroma.
Lumps form if the egg yolks are added directly to hot milk — they scramble. The correct method is to temper: slowly pour a few spoonfuls of hot milk into the yolks while stirring constantly, then combine with the rest. If the cream did not set, there was likely too little cornstarch or the mixture was not brought to a full boil (1-2 minutes of active bubbling is needed).
A torch is the ideal tool, but you can use the oven: place the ramekins under a very hot grill (broil mode) for 2-3 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning. Important: the cream must be completely cold before caramelizing, otherwise it will melt. Use fine sugar — it melts more evenly. The sugar layer should be no thicker than 2 mm.
Yes — 1 teaspoon of good-quality vanilla extract will fully replace the pod. Vanilla sugar (10-15 g replacing part of the regular sugar) also works well. The pod gives a more intense and complex aroma, but extract is perfectly sufficient for home cooking.
The cream (without the caramel crust) keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days — cover the ramekins with plastic wrap. Caramelize the sugar just before serving: the crust softens within 15-20 minutes from moisture. The ideal approach is to make the cream in advance and add the caramel at the last moment before serving.
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Comments (1)
I use a kitchen torch, not a broiler, for the sugar crust on crema catalana. A torch gives you precise control — you can get that crackly caramel layer without warming the custard underneath. The contrast between cold cream and hot, brittle sugar is the entire point of this dessert.