Crema Catalana

How to prepare crema catalana

1. Put the milk on the stove together with the cinnamon and lemon and orange zest. Heat over low heat until it starts to foam at the edges. Remove the pot from heat, cover with a lid and let it infuse for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until you get a pale yellow cream. Add the cornstarch and mix until smooth.
3. Strain the milk. Pour the hot infused milk over the egg yolks in a thin stream, constantly stirring with a whisk.
4. Put the mixture in a pot. Place over low heat and constantly stir with a whisk until you feel it becoming slightly viscous (you can feel on the whisk when it starts to thicken and you can see the whisk marks through it; the cream is ready when it flows slowly from the spoon and a thin film remains on the back of it - see photo 4; it takes about 10-15 minutes to reach the desired consistency; if you have a thermometer, the cream should reach between 80°C and 90°C).
   This is the most important step, the consistency and smoothness of the cream depends on it, so keep the heat low, stir constantly and be patient for the cream to form.
6. Remove the pot from heat and stir quickly for 1 minute.
7. Pour the cream into 4 ceramic dishes/cups/jars. Let cool at room temperature. Then refrigerate until serving (at least a few hours so it has time to set).
8. Sprinkle a thin layer of sugar on top and caramelize it either with a torch (or the traditional Spanish caramelizing iron; these are the ideal options, because they caramelize the sugar instantly without heating the cream too much) or place the dishes under the broiler set to maximum for a few minutes.

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