This is just one of the many great puddings that has firm Spanish roots. Very simple to make, it’s actually quite light, with all the flavour of the caramel and none of the sticky sweetness. It’s similar to the French crème brûlée, except it’s not cooked in the oven.
Serves: 4 – 6
Ingredients
- 6 egg yolks
- 150g (5oz) honey
- 40g (1 ½ oz) cornflour
- 900ml (1 ½ pints) milk
- 1 cinnamon stick rind of 1 lemon rind of 1 orange
- 2 tbsp Demerara sugar
- seasonal berries, such as raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries, to serve
Method
- Place the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl with the honey. Using a hand-held whisk, beat for 5 minutes, until thickened. Tip in the cornflour and mix until well combined.
- Place the milk in a small pan with the cinnamon stick, lemon and orange rind. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 5 minutes.
- Strain the milk, discarding the cinnamon stick, lemon and orange rind, then gradually whisk the warm milk into the egg and honey mixture. Place in a clean pan set over a low heat. Cook gently for 10–15 minutes, until the custard coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat.
- Leave to cool, then pour into individual dishes or ramekins and chill for at least 4 hours (or overnight is best) to allow the custard pots to firm up.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle the tops evenly with the Demerara sugar and caramelise with a blow torch or under a preheated hot grill. Arrange on plates with a nice selection of seasonal berries to serve.