Catalonia is Spain’s Northeastern-most autonomous community therefore it shares not only a border with France but also many culinary traditions. A perfect example of this communal epicurean tradition is Crema Catalana which is Catalonia’s version of crème brûlée. The main difference between the two is the Catalan version uses a heat infusion of lemon and cinnamon to flavor the custard while the French version typically uses vanilla. The result is a beautifully creamy, slightly citrusy custard with a delicious, crunchy burnt caramelized sugar topping. 

Crema Catalana

Please always check your food to ensure your food has been cooked to safe serving temperatures. Please see our guide here for recommended FDA Time & Temperatures.
  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: 2 hours and 30 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 1½ cups whole milk
  • 1½ cups heavy cream
  • 3 large strips lemon peel, white pith removed
  • 1 cinnamon stick or 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp cornstarch
  • ¼ cup turbinado sugar or granulated sugar, for topping

Directions

1) Combine milk, cream, lemon peel strips, cinnamon stick and vanilla extract to a saucepan. Heat on medium-high stirring constantly until milk is just simmering. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, remove the cinnamon stick, orange, and lemon peels from the milk. 

2) Whisk together the egg yolks, granulated sugar, and cornstarch until the yolks are a pale yellow. Pour the milk mix into the eggs a little at a time until it’s fully incorporated. 

3) Pour the custard into 6 broiler-safe ramekins. Add 1” water to a Suvie pan then place the ramekins in the pan. Insert pans into your Suvie, input settings, and cook now or schedule. 

Suvie Cook Settings

Bottom Zone: Slow Cook High for 1 hour

4) After the cook, carefully remove the ramekins from the Suvie pan. Pour off water from the Suvie pan and return ramekins to the pan. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the ramekins and put Suvie pan back in Suvie. Broil for 10 minutes or until the sugar has melted into a golden crust on top of the custard. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Note: If you would like to make this recipe in Suvie 1.0, insert pans into the top zones of Suvie, fill reservoir, and set to Slow Cook on High for 1 hour.

Nutrition

Nutritional Information per serving (6 servings per recipe): Calories 423, Total Fat 30.5g, Total Carbohydrates 38.5g, Total Sodium 54.7mg, Total Protein 4.6g

CategoriesDessert Spanish
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Michael Soto
Michael Soto
3 years ago

In the ingredients list, I kept looking for cornstarch and didn’t see any. I have made cream pies and the custard usually calls for cornstarch. Then I read the instructions and, sure enough, it says to add the cornstarch. Since it is not in the ingredients list, we don’t know how much too add. Maybe someone could fix this or send me the correct ingredients list? Thank you, – Mike Soto

Dan Snedeker
Admin
Dan Snedeker
3 years ago
Reply to  Michael Soto

Hi Michael, sorry about that. The recipe is updated with the correct amount.