Today is International Woman’s day and to celebrate we thought we would prepare a delicious Crema Catalana!

Crema Catalana is the Spanish version of Crème Brûlée. Of course, a lot of Catalans would argue Crème Brûlée is the French version of Crema Catalana. This dessert, also called Crema de Sant Josep, is traditionally prepared on March, 19th. The most important thing is to refrigerate it for a few hours before serving.

Here’s some advice: make your Crema Catalana the day before and leave it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it. Keep in mind that the sugar will need time to caramelize!

Ingredients

• 500g whole milk
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1 vanilla pod
• 100g superfine sugar
• Additional sugar to caramelize the top
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 a stick of cinnamon
• Big slice of lemon and orange peel
• Fresh fruit (figs, strawberries, blueberries or strawberries) to put on the top (optional)

Directions

1. In a bowl, beat eggs and sugar until thoroughly blended and mixture turns frothy. Leave to rest for a while.
2. Pour milk in a saucepan; add cinnamon stick and orange and lemon peel.
3. Split vanilla pod lengthways and add to the saucepan, then gently bring to boil.
4. Remove from heat and allow infusing for 15-20 minutes.
5. Pass milk through a sieve and discard everything else, then return milk to the pan and place over a medium heat.
6. Just before it reaches a boiling point, slowly add egg mixture. Stir it for 7-10 minutes until you feel resistance.
7. Remove cinnamon stick and mixture from the heat and pour into individuals ramekins.
8. Let it cool, then refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours.
9. Remove the ramekins with the Crema Catalana and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar on top of each Crema and caramelize using a blowtorch (you will need around 10 minutes – allow the sugar to turn gold and brown).
10. Remove, add fresh fruits if you like and serve immediately.

¡Buon provecho! Enjoy!