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Celebration of eighteen years of wedded bliss and having friends over for dinner is a killer combo and this dessert topped off our multi-course anniversary meal. It was a big hit for us and I hope that it will be for you as well.
Natillas is a sweet custard with a hint of cinnamon. The Basque country of Spain claim this sauce as their own, but the English make a similar sauce, although it is vanilla-based, and call it crème anglaise. Here I have added my own spin on the dish by breaking out the brûlée torch and giving the custard a sweet/bitter sugar shell and adding France to this ethnic-fusion dessert. Enjoy!
- Chez
- 1 quart heavy cream
- 6 cinnamon sticks
- 6 large eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Baker’s sugar (fine sugar)
- brûlée torch
In a saucepan, combine the cream and cinnamon sticks, and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, and cook gently for about 10 minutes, until the cream is well infused with the cinnamon. Set the pan aside so the cream can cool.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until they are well mixed. Add the cream and cinnamon sticks, and whisk well.
Heat 1 to 2 inches of water in the bottom pan of a double boiler, and transfer custard mixture to the top pan, or set the bowl over a saucepan containing 1 to 2 inches of hot water. Bring the water to a boil, and cook the sauce, stirring constantly, for about 30 minutes or until it thickens, adding more hot water to the bottom pan if necessary. Remove the top pan or the bowl from over the hot water, and let the custard cool.
Strain the cooled custard through a fine-mesh sieve into individual ramekins and cover with plastic wrap so that the wrap is in contact with the surface of the cream. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (up to 24), until it is cool.
Before serving, sprinkle enough of the Baker’s sugar on the cream to cover the surface and heat with the torch until the sugar melts and turns golden. Re-refrigerate for 2-3 minutes to harden the crust and serve.
