Catalan cream

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 300 ml milk
• 200 ml cream, sweet
• 2 pieces orange(s), peel, untreated
• 1 stalk(s) cinnamon
• ½ vanilla pod(s), slit
• 5 eggs, including the yolk
• 50 g sugar
• Nutmeg, grated
• 6 tbsp sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Line a deep baking sheet with kitchen paper, fill it 2 cm high with hot water, and place it on the middle rack of the oven. Combine the milk, cream, untreated orange peel, cinnamon stick, and split vanilla pod in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Bring to a boil, remove the pan from the heat, and remove the orange peel, vanilla pod, and cinnamon stick. Let cool slightly. Beat the egg yolks and sugar with a hand mixer until frothy. Then slowly stir in the milk and cream mixture and pour through a fine sieve. Carefully pour the egg and milk mixture into small ovenproof dishes, ensuring that the surface remains free of foam. If necessary, remove any foam with a spoon. Place the dishes in the water bath so that they are half submerged in water. Let the mixture set in the oven for about 1 hour. Remove the dishes from the oven and let cool. Before serving: Preheat the oven’s broiler or set the oven to its highest setting. Sprinkle the cream with a touch of grated nutmeg and 1 tablespoon of sugar per mold. Caramelize the sugar under the broiler until golden brown. This should be done as quickly as possible, as you don’t want the cream itself to get hot. Tip: It’s easier to create the sugar crust with a blowtorch. Simply brush the flame of the blowtorch over the sugar. It’s done. For the “original” Crema Catalana, the sugar crust is baked with a special glowing spiral iron.