Dinner Series - Spanish - Dessert

Recipes

Crema Catalana

Ingredients

2 Tbs Cornstarch (15g)

2 1/2 Cups Whole Milk (600 ml)

A big slice of peel from a lemon and an orange note: not the zest, but rather big slices of the peel

1 cinnamon stick

5 large egg yolks

1/2 cup Superfine sugar (100g) if you can't find superfine, don't worry, it'll just be a bit more grainy

Additional sugar to caramelize on top

Fresh fruit like figs, raspberries or strawberries to top

Recipe

Put the milk on the stove in a small saucepan, along with the citrus peels and the cinnamon stick. Slowly bring to a boil.

Dissolve the cornstarch in a splash of water and set aside.

While the milk is slowly heating, beat the egg yolks with the sugar, until the mixture turns pale yellow. Beat in the dissolved cornstarch and a spoonful of the hot milk.

Remove the citrus peels and cinnamon stick from the hot milk, and lower the heat.

Slowly add the egg yolk mixture to the milk, making sure to keep stirring so that the eggs don't scramble!

Stir constantly over a low heat, until the mixture has thickened.

Remove from the heat and pour the mixture into traditional clay dishes or ramekins.

Allow the custard to cool, and then cover in plastic wrap and chill the crema catalanas for about four hours (preferably overnight).

Before serving, bring to room temperature. Then sprinkle a thin layer of sugar on top of each ramekin. Spread the sugar out by tilting the ramekins in all directions. Caramelize with a small kitchen blowtorch (though the truly authentic crema catalanas are made with a hot iron..

Top with fresh fruit (optional) and enjoy!

Churros

Corn, grapeseed, canola or other neutral oil for frying

1/2  Cup Sugar plus 1 TBS

1 tsp Cinnamon 

1/2 Cup Butter

¼ tsp Salt

120 Grams All Purpose Flour

3 eggs

Recipe

Add enough oil to a large saucepan or deep skillet to come to a depth of at least 2 inches; heat to about 350 degrees. Mix 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon together on a large plate.

Combine remaining sugar, butter, salt and 1 cup water in a saucepan over high heat, and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, and add flour, all at once. Stir constantly until mixture forms a ball, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat, and beat eggs one at a time into mixture, stirring until smooth after each addition.

Spoon dough into a pastry bag with a large star tip (or simply drop spoons full of batter into oil). Press strips of dough about 4 inches long into hot oil. Cook as many as will fit comfortably at once, turning as they brown, 5 to 10 minutes each.

Remove churros from oil, and drain on paper towels, then immediately roll them in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve hot or warm.

Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 Vanilla Bean split lenghtwise

1 Cup Heavy Cream

5 TBS Dark Brown Sugar

1 TBS Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 tsp Espresso Powder

1/8 tsp Kosher Salt

85 Grams unsweetened chocolate, chopped 

Scrape vanilla seeds into a small saucepan, discard the pod. Add cream, brown sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder and salt. Cook over medium high heat whisking until sugr is dissolved and no lumps remain. Remov from the heat ad add the chocolate let rest for a few minutes (while chocolate melts). Stir to combine and keep warm until the Churros are ready.