The dessert known in most of Spain as ''crema catalana'' ("Catalan cream"), but as ''crema cremada'' ("burnt cream") in

Catalan cuisine Catalan cuisine is the cuisine from Catalonia. It may also refer to the shared cuisine of Northern Catalonia and Andorra, the second of which has a similar cuisine to that of the neighbouring Alt Urgell and Cerdanya '' comarques'' and which ...

, is similar to a ''

crème brûlée ''Crème brûlée'' or ''crème brulée'' (; ), also known as burnt cream or Trinity cream, and virtually identical to the original crema catalana, is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a layer of hardened caramelized sugar ...

''; the desserts have been called "virtually identical", although ''crema catalana'' is made with milk, while ''crème brûlée'' is made with cream. ''Crema catalana'' is a custard made from egg yolks, milk, sugar,

cornflour Cornflour may refer to: * Cornflour (in the UK), corn starch, from the endosperm of the kernel of the corn (maize) grain * Corn flour (in the US and elsewhere), very finely ground cornmeal, ground from dried maize See also * Flour * Starch * Gl ...

(in modern recipes), and aromatics, typically lemon zest, cinnamon, or vanilla, with a crisp caramel crust.

Recipe

Some differences between ''crema catalana'' and ''crème brûlée'' include the cooking method and the resulting consistency; the French version is made with cream (that contains 30 to 36 percent of fat) and flavoured with vanilla, while the Catalan version is made with milk ( whole milk has an average of 3.5 percent fat), and typically flavoured with cinnamon and lemon zest. Modern versions are often thickened with

. Crema catalana cannot be frozen successfully.

History

The first known recipe for ''crema catalana'' appears in the

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

cookbooks ''Llibre de Sent Soví'' (14th century) and ''Llibre del Coch'' (16th century).''El convit del Tirant'', Jaume Fàbrega, Pages Editors, 2007. The first of these was published three centuries before recipes for the French ''crème brûlée''. The recipe included a custard cream, over which sugar was poured and subsequently burnt with a hot iron rod, creating the characteristic burnt crust. Analogous recipes appear in 17th century Spanish cookery books, usually under the name of ''Cream of Saint Joseph'' ("Crema de Sant Josep"), since it was a traditional dessert served during

Saint Joseph's Day Saint Joseph's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Joseph or the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, is in Western Christianity the principal feast day of Saint Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary and legal father of Jesus Christ, celebrated on 19 March. ...

, although nowadays it is consumed at all times of the year. The recipe was first referred to as ''crema catalana'' (Catalan cream) in the 1745 cookbook by the Spanish friar Juan de Altamiras, where the recipe was said to be of Catalan origin. The burnt sugar topping is documented in 1770.

References

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External links

How to make crema catalana (video)Crema catalana Recipe
Catalan cuisine Custard desserts Spanish desserts