Crema catalana

In Catalan cuisine, crema catalana ("Catalan cream") or crema cremada ("Burnt cream"), is a dish that is similar to a crème brûlée; the desserts have been called "virtually identical".[1]

Preparation
Detail of the burnt top of a crema catalana, surrounded by ingredients

The first known recipe for crema catalana appears in the Catalan cookbooks Llibre de Sent Soví (14th century)[2] and Llibre del Coch (16th century).[3] 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.

Some differences between the crema catalana and crème brûlée include the cooking method and subsequent consistency; the French version is made with cream and aromatised with vanilla, while the Catalan version is made of milk and aromatised with cinnamon and lemon zest.[4]

Crema catalana recipes include variants created in other parts of the world.[5]

History

Analogous recipes appear in 17th century Spanish cookery books, usually under the name of Cream of Saint Joseph ("Crema de san José"), 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 referred to as crema catalana (Catalan cream) for the first time by the Spanish friar Juan de Altamiras in his 1745 cookbook, where the recipe was said to be of Catalan origin.[6] The burnt sugar topping is documented in 1770.[6]

References
  1. Colman Andrews (3 December 2005). Catalan Cuisine, Revised Edition: Vivid Flavors From Spain's Mediterranean Coast. Harvard Common Press. pp. 247–. ISBN 978-1-55832-329-2.
  2. "Los 10 errores que cometes al hacer crema catalana y natillas". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2020-03-19. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  3. El convit del Tirant, Jaume Fàbrega, Pages Editors, 2007. ISBN 978-84-9779-520-3
  4. Richard Sax (9 November 2010). Classic Home Desserts: A Treasury of Heirloom and Contemporary Recipes. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 149–. ISBN 978-0-547-50480-3.
  5. Roden, Claudia (2012-03-24). "Burnt cream - Crema cremada". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
  6. Nuevo arte de la cocina española. Ariel. 1 October 2017. p. 493. ISBN 978-84-344-2530-9.
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