Discover Spain: Crema Catalana

History

Crema catalana also known as crema cremada or crema de san José is a Spanish dessert originating from the Catalonia region of Spain. It is valued as one of, if not, the oldest dessert in all of Europe being traced back to the 14th century in Spanish cookbooks.

The origin of the dessert comes from a fun tale. Legend has it that an important bishop was visiting a Jewish convent in the Catalonia region of Spain. The nuns attempted to prepare flan (a firmer set custard dish with a clear caramel sauce on top) but noticed it was runny and had not set up. With no other time to make another dessert, the nuns poured sugar on top and burnt it creating a hard-caramelized layer over the soft, cold custard. When the bishop broke the top layer and tried the dessert, he exclaimed crema (meaning cream in Spanish) and cremada (roughly referring to the sugar layer being burnt and hot as cremar means to cremate and cremada means cremated).

While crema catalana is commonly eaten as a dessert year-round, it is designated to be eaten on March 19th – St. Joseph’s Day (similar to Father’s Day in the U.S.). This is why an alternate name to this dish is crema de san José. Crema catalana was declared Catalonia’s national dessert by the Catalan Institute of Cooking and is a commonly served dessert in restaurants and homes in the summer months.

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What is Crema Catalana?

Crema catalana is a thin custard dessert flavored with lemon zest, orange zest, and cinnamon. It is served cold with a hard layer of burnt sugar on top. This dish is similar to crème brulée and crème anglaise but slightly different in the ways that it is cooked and served. Crème brulée is made with cream and eggs and is baked in an oven in dishes that sit in a water bath, while crema catalana is made with milk, eggs, and cornstarch and is cooked over stove top or in the oven without a water bath. Crème anglaise is made of cream and eggs without the use of cornstarch or flour and has no scorched sugar layer.

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About this Dish

Crema catalana is a burst of sweet creaminess layered with the aroma and complexity of citrus and cinnamon. A hardened sugar layer creates a crunchy texture contrast to the runny and soft cream underneath. This dish is very sweet and unique. The taste of crema catalana is often used to flavor other products like ice cream or torrό – a nougat-like sweet.

For crema catalana, I have two recipes: a traditional recipe and a vegan recipe. I found both to be very delicious and easy to create. The hardest part about making this dessert is having the patience to let it cool in the fridge instead of devouring it right away. Please enjoy a sweet taste of Spain!

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Traditional Crema Catalana

A soft and cold Spanish custard flavored with citrus zest and cinnamon and served with a hardened layer of sugar on top.

Notes

Sevres 4

*This recipe is very sweet and liquidy. For a less-sweet dessert, follow the lower amount of sugar. For a firmer dessert, follow the larger amount of cornstarch.

Ingredients

· 1 cup half and half (I used fat free)

· 1 cup milk

· zest of 1/2 lemon

· zest of 1/4 orange

· 1 cinnamon stick (can use ground to taste as well)

· 1 tsp vanilla

· 4 egg yolks

· 1/4-1/2 cup of sugar

· 1-3 tbsp cornstarch

1. Combine the milk, half and half, lemon zest, orange zest, vanilla, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan. Heat this mixture on low until it comes to a boil.

2. While waiting for the milk mixture to boil, combine the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl large enough to hold the liquid mixture until it is a pale-yellow color and is slightly fluffy or airy.

3. Once the milk has come to a boil, slowly pour some into the egg mixture while stirring. Once mixed, pour in the rest of the milk mixture and stir until well-combined.

4. Pour the custard mix through a fine mesh strainer back into the same saucepan used to heat the mixture. Heat this custard mix until it is thickened to preference.

5. Remove the pan from the heat and pour out into 4 ramekins. Cover the ramekins with plastic wrap (make sure the wrap is touching the top custard layer to prevent condensation) and refrigerate until cold and set.

6. To create the sugar layer, sprinkle sugar on top and torch until caramelized and browned. You can also try to broil the sugar on high in the oven if you have no way to torch it.

Crack the layer and enjoy!

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Vegan Crema Catalana

A vegan friendly version of a cold custard dish flavored with lemon, orange, and cinnamon and served with a hardened layer of sugar on top.

Notes

Serves 4

Ingredients

· 2 cups and a splash of soy milk (unflavored and unsweetened)

· zest of 1/2 lemon

· zest of 1/2 orange

· 1 cinnamon stick (can use ground to taste as well)

· 1 tsp vanilla

· 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

· 1/2 cup of sugar

· 3 tbsp cornstarch

1. Combine the soy milk, lemon zest, orange zest, vanilla, and cinnamon stick in a saucepan. Heat this mixture on low until it comes to a boil.

2. While waiting for the milk mixture to boil, combine the yeast, sugar, and cornstarch in a boil large enough to hold the liquid mixture. Add a splash of soy milk in order to stir and dissolve the cornstarch. Stir this into a paste.

3. Once the milk has come to a boil, slowly pour some into the cornstarch mixture while stirring. Once mixed, pour in the rest of the milk mixture and stir until well-combined.

4. Pour the custard mix through a fine mesh strainer back into the same saucepan used to heat the mixture. Heat this custard mix until it is thickened to preference.

5. Remove the pan from the heat and pour into 4 ramekins. Cover the ramekins with plastic wrap (make sure the wrap is touching the top custard layer to prevent condensation) and refrigerate until cold and set.

6. To create the sugar layer, sprinkle sugar on top and torch until caramelized and browned. You can also try to broil the sugar on high in the oven if you have no way to torch it.

Crack the layer and enjoy!

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Nutrition

Crema catalana is a yummy dessert to enjoy in moderation! By using fat free half and half, this dessert is made slightly healthier. The carbohydrates and added sugars can be lessened by adding the lower amount of sugar. This dish is delicious served with fresh fruit.

Traditional Crema Catalana Recipe: Full Sugar (1/2 cup)

Traditional Crema Catalana Recipe: Reduced Sugar (1/4 cup)

Vegan Crema Catalana

Nutritional yeast gives a wonderful boost of the B vitamin complex in the vegan recipe! It also helps add a nutty and natural flavor as well as thickens the custard.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this post and recipe. Let me know your thoughts! :)