Crema Catalana

This is similar to the French Creme Brulee, but is a little lighter and softer in texture, with a really pleasant hint of citrus and cinnamon, which I think makes it much better for warmer weather or as a follower to lighter meals. A big thank you to evelyn/athens for spotting mistakes in this recipe, which have now been corrected.

• Ready In: 15 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1  quart milk
•  peel of 1 lemon (yellow part only, cut into thin strips)
•  peel of 1 orange (orange part only, cut into thin strips)
• 2  cinnamon sticks
• 2  teaspoons vanilla extract
• 8  egg yolks
• 2  cups sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3  tablespoons cornstarch
• 1  teaspoon cornstarch

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, add the milk, lemon and orange peels, vanilla and cinnamon sticks; bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, then discard the lemon and orange peels and cinnamon sticks.
2. Beat eggs, sugar, nutmeg, and cornstarch together until well combined, and light in color.
3. Add about 1 to 2 cups of the warm milk to the eggs, a little at a time, stirring constantly, until the eggs are nice and hot, but not scrambled. Pour the egg mixture into the milk, again, keep stirring!
4. Cook the whole mixture over medium heat until it starts to get nice and thick. This should take about 7 minutes. Remove it from the heat, and strain if you like, to make sure there aren't any bits of scrambled egg.
5. Divide the custard into 6 ramekins, and chill for at least 4 hours, covered.
6. Just before serving, sprinkle each custard with 1 tbsp of sugar, and using a kitchen torch (my favorite) or your oven's broiler, caramelize the sugar. Make sure to do this quickly, so the custard underneath doesn't curdle.
7. Grab a spoon and dig in!