Crema catalana
{{Short description|Catalan dessert similar to crème brûlée}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name = Crema catalana
| image = Creme catalane.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption =
| alternate_name = Catalan cream, Crema de Sant Josep
| country = Spain
| region = Catalonia
| creator =
| course = Dessert
| served = Room temperature
| main_ingredient = Milk, sugar, egg or egg yolks, cinnamon, lemon zest
| variations =
| calories =
| other =
}}
Crema catalana 'Catalan cream' or crema cremada 'burnt cream' is a Catalan and Spanish dessert consisting of a custard topped with a layer of caramelized sugar.{{Cite news |last=Roden |first=Claudia |date=2012-03-24 |title=Burnt cream - Crema cremada (recipe) |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/9156182/Burnt-cream-Crema-cremada.html |access-date=2019-10-14 |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}} It is "virtually identical"{{cite book |author=Colman Andrews |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-K_ekX6BVXsC&pg=PA247 |title=Catalan Cuisine, Revised Edition: Vivid Flavors From Spain's Mediterranean Coast |date=3 December 2005 |publisher=Harvard Common Press |isbn=978-1-55832-329-2 |pages=247–}} to the French crème brûlée. Like all custards, it is made from milk, egg yolks, and sugar. Some modern recipes add cornflour. It is typically flavored with lemon zest, cinnamon, or vanilla, and a crisp caramel crust is made by caramelizing sugar placed on top of the custard.
Recipe
Crema catalana and crème brûlée are made in the same way,{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R1bCBwAAQBAJ&dq=catalana+is+made+in+the+same+way&pg=PA197 |title=The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets |date=2015-04-01 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-931361-7 |pages=197 (s.v. crème brûlée) |language=en}} although some crème brûlée recipes enrich the milk with cream, or substitute cream for the milk. Unlike crème brûlée, crema catalana is invariably flavoured with cinnamon and lemon zest. Modern versions are often thickened with cornflour.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fxKwLkFYz4cC&pg=PA149|title=Classic Home Desserts: A Treasury of Heirloom and Contemporary Recipes|author=Richard Sax|date=9 November 2010|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|isbn=978-0-547-50480-3|pages=149–}}
History
La Vanguardia reported that "precursor versions" of crema catalana appear in early Catalan cookbooks, mentioning custards which were not burnt on top in the 14th century Llibre de Sent Soví{{Cite web|date=2020-03-20|title=Los 10 errores que cometes al hacer crema catalana y natillas|language=es|trans-title=The 10 mistakes you commit when making crema catalana and custards|url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/comer/tendencias/20200319/474242868579/errores-natillas-crema-catalana-como-hacer.html|author=Marijo Jordan|website=La Vanguardia}}{{Cite book |last=Anònim |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xf20EAAAQBAJ&dq=%22llet+malcuita%22&pg=PT183 |title=Llibre de Sent Soví: Col·lecció 7 Portes |date=2023-03-20 |publisher=Editorial Barcino |isbn=978-84-7226-887-6 |language=ca}} and in the 16th century Llibre del Coch.El convit del Tirant, Jaume Fàbrega, Pages Editors, 2007. {{ISBN|978-84-9779-520-3}}
Analogous recipes appear in 18th 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, 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.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-qIvDwAAQBAJ|title=Nuevo arte de la cocina española|date=1 October 2017|publisher=Ariel|isbn=978-84-344-2530-9|pages=493}} The burnt sugar topping is first documented in 1770.