Jon Toogood, frontman of Shihad, is one of the 101 Kiwi celebrities to contribute to the awesome Cooking 4 Change recipe book. Cooking 4 Change is on a mission to reduce food poverty around the globe, and all profits that Cooking 4 Change ever makes go back to community organisations that help feed and educate people. This is one of Jon’s favourite recipes.
The Crema Catalana is one of my favourite recipes from Marty King, my chef friend in Barcelona. He is an awesome chef – he trained at Longrain, the famous Thai restaurant in Sydney. If you’re ever in Barcelona, go see him at Koku Kitchen and try some of his authentic Japanese ramen — Jon Toogood
Jon Toogood’s crema catalana
Ingredients
375ml cream
125ml milk
zest of 1⁄2 orange
zest of 1⁄2 lemon
1 cinnamon stick
4 egg yolks
100g sugar, plus extra for caramelising
Method
Place the cream, milk, orange zest, lemon zest and cinnamon stick in a heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a light simmer and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes to infuse the flavours.
Place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until pale. Add the infused cream mixture, whisking continuously.
Place a stainless steel bowl over a bowl of ice and set a sieve on top. Set aside.
Place the custard mixture in a clean, heavy-bottomed pot. Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is thick and coats the back of the wooden spoon or reaches 72°C (and no more). Quickly strain through the prepared sieve into the stainless steel bowl set over ice and set aside to cool.
Pour into 4 individual ramekins and chill overnight.
Next day, remove from the fridge and liberally sprinkle sugar on the top. Caramelise the sugar with a kitchen blow torch, until it becomes a dark golden caramel.
Allow to cool slightly and then serve. Enjoy!
