Crema catalana ice cream

Ingredients

To make crema catalana ice cream, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Peel of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch of salt

Step-by-step preparation

Heat the milk, cream, cinnamon stick and lemon peel in a saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and let it steep for a few minutes so the flavors infuse.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and salt until smooth. Gradually pour the hot milk and cream into the yolks, whisking constantly so the yolks don’t curdle.

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it thickens and coats the back of the spoon.

Remove from the heat and strain into a clean bowl to remove the cinnamon and lemon peel. Stir in the vanilla, let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Churn the mixture in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer’s instructions. Without a machine, pour it into a freezer-safe container and stir every half hour until smooth and creamy.

Serve the ice cream in bowls or cones, decorated with lemon zest or ground cinnamon to bring out the crema catalana flavor. It’s a delicious, refreshing dessert or snack at any time of year.