Crema Catalana - Test 1

https://www.crumbblog.com/burnt-offerings-crema-catalana/#tasty-recipes-7972-jump-target

https://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/catalan-cream-e28093-crema-catalana/

https://www.food.com/recipe/crema-catalana-141101?scale=4

1 - Looks like my first attempt was successful. I didn't have orange peel so I used some orange essence I had on hand. We have a world traveller, Janine from Germany, who assures me that the texture of the custard is standard for custards in Portugal. I found it coarser than the smooth, creamy custards I'm accustomed to making. I hope it will satisfy The Hub for their tapas weekend.

2 - I made this for the restaurant and it came out totally differently and like a proper custard. It was a hit.

Serves 4

1½ cups milk

½ cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Zest of 1 orange and 

1 lemon, cut into wide strips

2 cinnamon sticks

5 egg yolks

¼ cup sugar

3 tbsp sweet sherry (optional)

(for 12 servings

4½ cups milk

1½ cups heavy cream

1 Tbsp vanilla

3 oranges, peels only, with pith, cut into wide strips

3 lemons, peels only, with pith, cut into wide strips

6 cinnamon sticks

15 egg yolks

3/4 cups sugar

OPTIONAL - ½ cup sweet sherry)

1. Pour hot water into a roasting that can fit your ramekins with enough water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
2. Place in the oven and preheat to 300F.
3. In a saucepan, combine the milk, cream, lemon and orange peels, and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then remove from heat and set aside to infuse, covered, while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
4. Don't start this part until the milk is infusing.
5. In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks, sugar, sherry (if using) and vanilla extract. 
6. Strain the infused milk, and discard the solids. Pour the milk back into the saucepan and bring to a simmer once more over medium heat.
7. Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking briskly as you go to keep the eggs from curdling.
8. Set four one-cup ovenproof ramekins into a deep baking dish. Evenly distribute custard between the ramekins (about 145g). Place dish in preheated oven, then carefully fill with boiling water until it comes halfway up the sides of ramekins, being careful not to get any water into the custards.
9. Bake, covered, in preheated oven for 40 minutes, until custard is barely set around the edges and a little wobbly in the middle.
10. Remove ramekins from the baking dish, cool for a few minutes, then place in the refrigerator to cool completely, about 2 hours.
11. Before serving, sprinkle ½ tbsp sugar onto each ramekin. Using a small blowtorch held about 2" away from the surface of the dish, work the flame over the sugar to caramelise, making sure not to linger too long over a single spot to ensure a nice even caramelization. (Or if you don't have a torch, you can also place the sugar-topped custards under a hot broiler for 30-45 seconds, or as long as it takes for the sugar to melt into a thin layer of golden-brown caramel)
12. Serve right away.