Easy Recipe for Homemade Spanish Crema Catalana | Creme Brulee | Natilla Cubana!

Here is a super easy and flexible recipe to make popular desserts like Crema Catalana, Creme Brulee, Natilla Cubana, and others requiring a vanilla pudding! So what is the difference between Crema Catalana, Creme Brulee, Natilla Cubana? Not a whole lot if you ask me! While there are a few inconsistencies in the preparation and some ingredients at the end of the day, they are all vanilla pudding-based desserts. Without a doubt, they are close relatives who have become favorites with many cultures and countries over time. Not just Spain, France, and Cuba. Nevertheless, it is essential to note the differences between these 𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐩𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬.

𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐂𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐚: Of the three, the Cuban Natilla recipes vary the most from household to household and regions of Cuba. This is nothing more than a thick vanilla pudding with substantially more body than your average American pudding. Common ingredients may include sweetened condensed milk and at least one whole egg instead of just yolks to give it that extra body. It is also often served with a soft/watery caramel, not crusty like the Crema Catalanaor Creme Brulee

𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐞: Many will tell you that the French Creme Brulee, it a take on the Spanish Crema Catalan, and in many ways, it is, since it came later, but at the same time, it is pretty different in the preparation. For one am, authentic Creme Brulee is made with cream, not whole milk, and it is baked in a bain-marie much like a flan.

𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐚: This is the most famous of all Spanish desserts. In Spain, it is commonly called Crema de Sant Josep because this creamy dessert is traditionally served on the 19th of March for the festivity of the Saint. If somewhat of a watery flan, with a crusty burned caramel topping.

This recipe is one that I learned while working at a Spanish restaurant more than three decades ago and one the establishment used for a wide range of desserts, including 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐚, 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐂𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐚, and Cuban custard-filled pastries like senoritas. The reality is that this recipe varies from family to family and cookbook to cookbook. The most significant deviation of the recipe was the use of evaporated milk, which the chef claimed gave the custard a more silk and smooth taste. I am not sure If I am conditioned to think about that when I have it, but it is silky for sure.

𝐈𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐚 | 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐞 | 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐂𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐚

- 1.5 Cup of whole milk
- 1 Cup Evaporated Milk
- 5 Egg Yolks
- 2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract
- 2 Teaspoons of Sugar**
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 1 Peel of a Lemon (or one teaspoon of a pure lemon extract)
**I misspoke in the video and referred to a recipe with regular milk! If you are using evaporated milk, two teaspoons will suffice!

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐚 | 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐞 | 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐂𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐚

To make this easy, Crema Catalana/Creme Brulee recipe, we'll start by depositing 1 cup of evaporated and 1 cup of whole milk in a large saucepan. To this, we will add the skin of a lemon and two sticks of cinnamon. As I mentioned in the video, a friend of mine who is a chef recommended using one teaspoon of pure lemon extract. I have never used this, but I don't see why it would not work. All we are seeking is the lemon taste! We are going to cook this under relatively low heat. We want to bring it to a slow simmer while keeping it from sticking. Once there, please turn off the heat and take it off the stove to cool.

While that cools, let's separate five eggs. Add two teaspoons of sugar to the yolks and whisk them until thoroughly combined. Then in a separate container, dissolve one tablespoon of corn starch (Maizena) into a 1/2 cup of cold milk. Once combined, add it to the eggs yolks and mix well. Your milk mixture should be cool, and we can add it to the eggs mixture. Mix it well and strain it back into the saucepan we used earlier.

Turn the heat back to medium-low and cook while stirring it until the pudding mixture thickens. That can vary from 12-18 minutes. Once you have achieved the desired consistency, pour it into your serving containers. Allow them to cool at room temperature and cover them with plastic wrap before putting them in the refrigerator. Your Crema Catalana, Creme Brulee, Natilla Cubana will be ready to eat in about 3-4 hours.

For the " BRULEE " caramel crust, simply add a tablespoon of sugar and burn at a distance of 5-6 inches with a Creme Brulee torch or consider using the microwave method mentioned in the video.


#CremaCatalana #CremeBrulee #NatillaCubana

[wmurphy]

Good info and instructions. I will try this. My daughter-in-law and I had a football bet and I lost and have to make a dessert for her and her hubby. This will be it. Thanks.