Catalan cream dessert – Crema Catalan

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 150 g sugar
• 4 eggs, including the yolk
• 75 g corn flour (or potato flour)
• 1 liter of milk
• 1 piece(s) lemon(s) – peel, large
• 2 tbsp butter
• 100 g sugar (for the caramel glaze)

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 15 minutes

Whisk the sugar, egg yolks, and cornstarch with a little milk in a large bowl until frothy. Bring the remaining milk to a boil with the lemon zest. Remove the lemon zest and gradually stir the hot milk into the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Return to the saucepan and simmer over low heat, stirring continuously, until the cream thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Pour the cream into 4 shallow, ovenproof dessert bowls (or one large one) and let cool. Preheat the broiler. A few minutes before serving, sprinkle each cream dish with 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons of sugar and set a broiler to high. Briefly place the dessert bowls under the top heat until the sugar has melted and begins to caramelize slightly. Serve immediately. Tip: This dessert is prepared using a “cooking branding iron,” which, when heated on a hot stovetop and placed on the sugar-sprinkled cream dish, “brands” the sugar. You can also caramelize the sugar in a saucepan and pour it over the cream.