My OperaCrema Catalana with Grapes
Thursday, September 25, 2008 3:08:39 AM
Last weekend, as I had told, was a busy one. The main reason? I invited some friends to have dinner in my house. One of these friends is studying to be a cook, so, when we meet, we usually split the jobs. I left him with the main dishes and all that stuff, and I took care of desserts. Of his part, we had some delicious empanadas. I really should have taken some pictures of those beautiful pastries. Italian sausage, chicken, cheese and palm heart were the four different fillings we made, for the Empanadas. I deided to add a ceviche (a fish that has been "cooked" in a lemon marinade, and is very traditional in the Andinean countries), which I found among Laylita's Recipes, and served with some sweet potato and a thin baked pastry common here in Brazil (pastel).
Well, about the dessert, since we were going to Spanish colonies traditional food, I decided to go for a recipe from Spain, and went for a Crema Catalana. In fact, it is a cousing of the French Crème Brûlée, but it keeps more liquid and has a delicious and fresh citric accent in it. The problem was: I made a small recipe, and wouldn't have time to make more (EMERGENCY! Calling all creative cells!). I had to find out one more thing to help fill the ramekins I was using (actually, when I finished cooking the Crema, I already found out that would happen). So, I went for a fruit compote (I love using fruits to add some nice flavors and textures), and searched my freezer for anything useable. I usually keep some strawberries and blackberries, but this time, I hade freezed two packs of "Champagne Grapes" (They're tiny little seedless grapes imported from California. How do you breed all these nice stuff, there?), so I used one of them for this time. The final result was very nice, fresh and sweet, and with a lovely orange blossom scent.
Try this out, folks, you'll have fun with it!
- Higa
Crema Catalana
Makes 6 individual ramekins (This is the full recipe)
750ml Whole Milk
1tbsp Orange Blossom Water (You can use vanilla essence)
Thin Rind of 1/2 Lemon
7 Large Yolks
200g sugar
3tbsp cornstarch
1 - A day in advance of serving, pour the milk into a pan with the orange blossom and the lemon rind. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes to infuse.
2 - Put the egg yolks and half of the sugar in a heatproof bowl that will fit over a pan without touching the bottom, and beat untill sugar dissolves and the mixture is creamy.
3 - Return the milk to the heat and bring it to a simmer. Then, stir 4tbs of milk into the cornstarch in a bowl until a smooth paste forms. Stir into the milk over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Strain the milk into the egg mixture and whisk until well blended.
4 - Put the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir the mixture for 25 or 30 minutes or until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. The bowl must not touch the water, or the eggs might scramble. Pour the mixture into 6 ramekins, let cool and chill for at least 12 hours.
5 - To serve, sprinkle it with a thin layer of sugar and use a kitchen blowtorch to caramelize the top.
Well, about the dessert, since we were going to Spanish colonies traditional food, I decided to go for a recipe from Spain, and went for a Crema Catalana. In fact, it is a cousing of the French Crème Brûlée, but it keeps more liquid and has a delicious and fresh citric accent in it. The problem was: I made a small recipe, and wouldn't have time to make more (EMERGENCY! Calling all creative cells!). I had to find out one more thing to help fill the ramekins I was using (actually, when I finished cooking the Crema, I already found out that would happen). So, I went for a fruit compote (I love using fruits to add some nice flavors and textures), and searched my freezer for anything useable. I usually keep some strawberries and blackberries, but this time, I hade freezed two packs of "Champagne Grapes" (They're tiny little seedless grapes imported from California. How do you breed all these nice stuff, there?), so I used one of them for this time. The final result was very nice, fresh and sweet, and with a lovely orange blossom scent.
Try this out, folks, you'll have fun with it!
- Higa
Crema Catalana
Makes 6 individual ramekins (This is the full recipe)
750ml Whole Milk
1tbsp Orange Blossom Water (You can use vanilla essence)
Thin Rind of 1/2 Lemon
7 Large Yolks
200g sugar
3tbsp cornstarch
1 - A day in advance of serving, pour the milk into a pan with the orange blossom and the lemon rind. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and let stand for 30 minutes to infuse.
2 - Put the egg yolks and half of the sugar in a heatproof bowl that will fit over a pan without touching the bottom, and beat untill sugar dissolves and the mixture is creamy.
3 - Return the milk to the heat and bring it to a simmer. Then, stir 4tbs of milk into the cornstarch in a bowl until a smooth paste forms. Stir into the milk over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Strain the milk into the egg mixture and whisk until well blended.
4 - Put the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir the mixture for 25 or 30 minutes or until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. The bowl must not touch the water, or the eggs might scramble. Pour the mixture into 6 ramekins, let cool and chill for at least 12 hours.
5 - To serve, sprinkle it with a thin layer of sugar and use a kitchen blowtorch to caramelize the top.
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Unregistered user # Friday, September 26, 2008 2:39:28 AM