Crema catalana

Crema catalana is a Catalan custard dessert with a thin, brittle layer of caramelised sugar on top. It is served cold, with the sugar crust broken at the table.

What it really is

Crema catalana is made by warming milk infused with lemon peel, orange peel and cinnamon, then whisking it into a base of egg yolks, sugar and cornflour and cooking the mixture gently until it thickens. The custard is poured into shallow dishes, chilled until set, then covered with a thin layer of sugar that is caramelised with a blowtorch or a hot iron just before serving.

It is often confused with crème brûlée, which is a French dish made from cream with no starch and a sugar top. Crema catalana is made with milk, is thickened with cornflour as well as yolks, and is flavoured with citrus peel and cinnamon. Some older recipes call the dish by the name crema cremada, meaning burnt cream.

How it's served

• Served cold in the shallow dish it was set in, usually at the end of a meal.
• The sugar top is broken with a spoon at the table so that each portion has a fresh crack.
• Often eaten with a spoon, with the caramel layer and the custard taken together.
• Traditionally offered on Saint Joseph's Day (19 March), though it is sold all year.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the key ingredients: milk, egg yolk, sugar, cornflour, with lemon and orange peel and cinnamon.
• Allergens to flag: milk and eggs; the dish contains no gluten-containing ingredients beyond cornflour, which is wheat-free.
• State that the top is caramelised sugar, and whether it is torched to order or made in advance.
• Note the variant if the kitchen uses cream or a different starch in place of cornflour.