A Crème Catalan is one of those desserts that everyone should be able to make. Known as Crema de Sant Josep in Catalania, it’s usually served on the 19th of March on St. Joseph’s day. It is often, mistakenly, confused with it’s French cousin,  Crème brûlée but the two are completely different and one wonder why this is, so often, done – especially by trained chefs. Crème Catalan is not baked in a bain marie, is flavoured with orange and lemon zest and is made as one would a custard – on top of the stove and not baked in the oven. Try your hand at it this weekend – you won’t regret it.

CRÈME CATALAN

Ingredients

• 500 ml milk
• 500 ml single cream
• Zest of three oranges
• Zest of three lemons
• 1 stick of cinnamo
• 15 large organic egg yolks
• 280 g fine castor sugar
• 3 tablespoons almond milk
• 150 g demerara sugar for topping

Method

• Warm the milk, cream and all the zest gently in a non-stick wok shaped pot.
• Remove from the heat before it starts to boil.
• Whisk the egg yolks, the almond milk and the sugar with an electric beater on slow until it becomes a cream.
• Find a good fine sieve and sift the cream mixture into the egg yolks, beating them constantly until it thickens into a silken creamy consistency.
• Cool it down in cold water whilst stirring all the time.
• Warm individual ramekins and allow them to cool down.
• Put in the fridge until you need them.
• Sprinkle with the sugar and caramelize under the grill.