{"id":699,"date":"2025-10-26T22:24:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T22:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stagingen.saffrona.eu\/?p=699"},"modified":"2026-10-11T12:23:55","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T12:23:55","slug":"saffron-creme-catalana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saffrona.eu\/en\/saffron-creme-catalana\/","title":{"rendered":"Saffron Cr\u00e8me Catalana: Golden Custard with a Crisp Sugar Top"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"saffrona-academy\">\n<p>Saffron cr\u00e8me catalana brings a delicate aroma and golden colour to a creamy Spanish dessert. A crisp caramelised sugar top contrasts with the soft milk custard underneath, scented with lemon and cinnamon.<\/p>\n<div class=\"saffrona-summary\"><strong>Recipe at a glance<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Serves 4 \u00b7 Cook gently on the hob \u00b7 Chill for at least 2 hours \u00b7 Caramelise the sugar just before serving.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<nav aria-label=\"Recipe sections\"><a href=\"#ingredients\">Ingredients<\/a><a href=\"#method\">Method<\/a><a href=\"#tips\">Tips<\/a><a href=\"#faq\">Questions<\/a><\/nav>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Safran-Creme-Catalana-1.webp\" alt=\"Saffron cr\u00e8me catalana with a caramelised sugar crust in an earthenware dish\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"ingredients\">Ingredients for 4 servings<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>500 ml whole milk<\/li>\n<li>4 egg yolks<\/li>\n<li>100 g sugar<\/li>\n<li>1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)<\/li>\n<li>1 small pinch of saffron threads<\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest<\/li>\n<li>1 cinnamon stick<\/li>\n<li>3 tablespoons cane sugar, for the caramelised topping<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"method\">How to make saffron cr\u00e8me catalana<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Infuse the saffron.<\/strong> Reserve 2 tablespoons from the milk and warm them. Add the saffron and steep for 10 minutes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Flavour the remaining milk.<\/strong> Heat it with the lemon zest and cinnamon until it reaches a boil. Take off the heat, leave for 5 minutes and strain out the cinnamon and zest.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mix the yolks.<\/strong> Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together until smooth.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Temper.<\/strong> Slowly pour the warm flavoured milk into the yolk mixture while whisking continuously.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Thicken gently.<\/strong> Return the mixture to the pan. Stir over low heat until it thickens, taking care not to let the eggs scramble.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Add the saffron.<\/strong> Stir in the saffron milk and threads. Divide the custard between four serving dishes and allow it to cool before refrigerating.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Chill and finish.<\/strong> Chill for at least 2 hours. Immediately before serving, sprinkle the cane sugar evenly over the tops and caramelise with a kitchen torch, following its safety instructions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 id=\"tips\">Tips for a silky custard and crisp top<\/h2>\n<p>Keep stirring as the custard thickens, paying attention to the base and corners of the pan. If needed, strain it before dividing between dishes for a finer texture. Add the saffron infusion at the end to keep its aroma delicate.<\/p>\n<p>Caramelise the topping just before serving so it retains its crisp texture. Use suitable heat-resistant dishes and keep the torch away from flammable items.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>Can I prepare the custard ahead?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Keep it covered in the refrigerator and add the sugar crust shortly before serving.<\/p>\n<h3>Is this baked like cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e?<\/h3>\n<p>No. This version thickens on the hob with egg yolks and cornflour, then sets as it chills.<\/p>\n<h3>Which allergens are present?<\/h3>\n<p>The recipe contains milk and eggs. Check all ingredient labels when serving someone with an allergy.<\/p>\n<h2>More saffron desserts<\/h2>\n<p>Try <a href=\"https:\/\/saffrona.eu\/en\/saffron-cheesecake\/\">saffron cheesecake<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/saffrona.eu\/en\/kesar-kulfi\/\">kesar kulfi<\/a>. Explore the <a href=\"https:\/\/saffrona.eu\/en\/saffron-academy\/\">Saffron Academy<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/saffrona.eu\/en\/buy-afghan-saffron\/\">discover saffron for your next dessert<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Saffron cr\u00e8me catalana brings a delicate aroma and golden colour to a creamy Spanish dessert. A crisp caramelised sugar top contrasts with the soft milk&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[125],"tags":[34],"class_list":["post-699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-saffron-desserts-and-cakes","tag-saffrona"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=699"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3856,"href":"https:\/\/saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/699\/revisions\/3856"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saffrona.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}