Crema Catalana in a Pizza Oven

Name: Crema Catalana in a Pizza Oven
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients: 500 ml whole milk; 1 orange; 1 lemon; 1 cinnamon stick (or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon); 4 egg yolks; 2 tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp cornstarch; Cane sugar for topping

A creamy Spanish dessert with caramelized sugar topping, finished in the intense heat of the oven.

Prep time

20 min

Cook time

10 min

Yield

4 portions

Ingredients

Number of dough balls

Grams per dough ball

500 ml whole milk
1 orange
1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick (or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
4 egg yolks
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
Cane sugar for topping

500 ml whole milk
1 orange
1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick (or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
4 egg yolks
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
Cane sugar for topping

Directions

Add milk, orange zest, lemon zest, and cinnamon to a saucepan and gently bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.
Whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch.
Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking.
Return everything to the saucepan and cook gently until slightly thickened.
Divide into 4 ramekins and chill.
Before serving, sprinkle cane sugar on top and place in a 300°C pizza oven until melted and caramelized.
Serve immediately.

Witt pizza ovens are perfect for gratinating and caramelizing dishes thanks to their intense heat. And you don’t need to stay in the savory kitchen.

Once the main course is finished, your pizza oven can still shine by helping you create this elegant crema catalana - the Spanish equivalent of crème brûlée.

The advantage of crema catalana is that it’s a cooked custard. That means it withstands the intense heat better when caramelizing the sugar, and it’s less likely to split during preparation.

Traditionally, it’s flavored with cinnamon, lemon, and orange, but you can easily make it your own.

As an easy dessert alternative, you can also split bananas lengthwise, sprinkle them with cane sugar, and bake them until caramelized before serving with a scoop of ice cream. It doesn’t have to be complicated. The oven makes it easy.