A few weeks back I had the pleasure sampling the results of chef Jose Pizarro and Codorníu cava teaming up to create a series of “Great British Tapas”. You can read about that experience in my write up for Blue Tomato. I really enjoyed tasting all of the tapas and thought the idea behind the project was novel and well executed. So, I decided to share all the recipes here on my own blog.
Here’s the last of five recipes to be published this week. Make sure to have a look at all the recipes.
Apple Crumble Crema Catalana
Makes 16 small glasses
For the apples:
500g cox’s apples peeled
50g caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
For the crumble:
90g plain flour
50g butter cold and cubed
40g soft brown sugar
50g slivered almonds
For the custard:
1 litre whole milk
1 lemon peel, pith removed
1 orange peel, pith removed
5cm cinnamon stick
6 large freerange egg yolks
50g caster sugar
40g cornflour
Preheat the oven to 200˚C place the flour, butter and sugar in a bowl and rub with your fingers until you have crumbs, stir in the almonds and scatter on a baking sheet. Place in the oven to toast for 15 minutes until golden and crisp, turning over frequently with a spoon.
Peel and cube the apples, place in a small pan with the sugar and cinnamon, just cover with water and place over a medium heat to cook with a lid on gently for 5 minutes until softened. Remove the apple cubes from the liquid and set aside whilst you reduce the liquid remaining over a medium heat for a further 2 minutes until syrupy. pour over the apple cubes and allow to cool.
Heat the milk, lemon and orange peel and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan over a medium heat until just about to boil. Remove from the heat and set aside to allow the flavours to infuse. once cool remove the zest and cinnamon stick and discard. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until thick and pale, add the cornflour and then continue to whisk in the milk. return the custard to a clean pan and cook, stirring continuously, for approx 10 minutes until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Cool slightly before straining through a fine sieve into a jug. Spoon the apple mixture into the base of 16 small glasses and pour over the custard.
Scatter the custards with the almond crumble and serve immediately.
