Catalan cream or creme brûlé?

Two desserts linked by such a close kinship that it is difficult to distinguish them at first glance.

Indeed, the way in which they appear is practically identical: a film of toasted caramel on the surface, which reveals the yellow of the underlying cream. Only the tasting test can reveal the differences: Catalan cream or Creme brûlée? Let's take a closer look at the history, characteristics and differences of these two specialties.

The first substantial difference is undoubtedly the aroma. If the presence of cinnamon is clearly perceived in the Catalan cream, the delicacy of the vanilla is characteristic of the crème brûlée.

The other big difference is that, while the Catalan cream made with whole milk only, the French cousin is based on liquid cream with the addition of milk.

The original recipe of the Catalan cream also provides for the use of cornstarch, while there is no starch in the crème brûlée.

Finally, the cooking: the Catalana is worked directly on the fire, mixing the mixture inside a saucepan, until it reaches the right density; the crème brûlée is cooked in a bain-marie, placing the cocottine with the mixture of eggs, cream and milk inside in a pan filled to a third of boiling water and baking everything for about one hour.