Crema catalana with vanilla
Crema catalana, a Spanish custard dessert with caramelised sugar. Our version with Madagascar Bourbon vanilla, step-by-step recipe, crisp crust.
- Prep 20 min
- Cooking 10 min
- Total 30 min
- Serves 6 servings
- Difficulty Easy
Crema catalana is a cream dessert from Spain, cooked on the stovetop then topped with a thin crust of caramelised sugar. Our version flavours the cream with the seeds of a whole Bourbon vanilla pod, infused in the milk before cooking.
Our family grows and prepares this vanilla in the SAVA region, in north-eastern Madagascar. The cream's smooth texture depends on gentle cooking, without boiling, and the crackling crust on caramelising it just before serving.
Preparation
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Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Heat the milk with the split pod and seeds until it just starts to simmer, then turn off the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 15 minutes.
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Remove the pod. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture turns pale, then fold in the cornflour.
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Pour the hot milk gradually over the mixture while whisking, then pour it all back into the saucepan.
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Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and coats the spoon, never letting it boil.
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Divide the custard between 6 ramekins. Leave to cool at room temperature, then chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
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Just before serving, sprinkle each custard with a thin layer of caster sugar and caramelise with a blowtorch, or for a few minutes under a very hot grill, until you get a thin, crisp crust.
The little extra that changes everything
Caramelise the sugar just before serving, never in advance: a crust caramelised too early goes soft again on contact with the cold custard. For another baked vanilla custard, see our Madagascar Bourbon vanilla crème brûlée. Our products for this recipe: Madagascar Bourbon vanilla pods
