Restaurant: Café-Restaurant De Plantage
Chefs: Isaac van Elden, 22 August 2023, and Koen van Brunschot (co-owner), 11 September 2014
I would describe De Plantage as: Enchantingly beautiful, with its abundant greenery and stately 19th-century architecture. Above all, the neighbourhood is shaped by its history, as reflected in the many important museums and monuments in the area.
I chose this recipe because: It is a successful ‘marriage’ between two well-known classics: the Catalan crema catalana and the French crème brûlée. The addition of saffron gives it a distinctive De Plantage twist.
Recipe: Crema Catalana Brûlée with saffron, cinnamon and orange (serves 4)
You will need:
- 4 ramekins with a capacity of approximately 125–150 ml
- 140 ml milk
- 280 ml cream
- 85 g egg yolk
- 50 g sugar
- Peel of ½ orange
- ⅓ cinnamon stick
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of saffron
Preparing the custard mixture:
- Preferably one hour in advance, combine the sugar, orange peel, cinnamon stick and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
- Add the sugar mixture to the milk and gently heat it. Leave to infuse for approximately 30 minutes.
- Strain the mixture, then combine it with the cream, egg yolks and saffron.
Baking:
- Preheat the oven to 97°C.
- Divide the custard mixture between the four ramekins.
- If you have a steam oven, set it to steam while filling the ramekins. If you do not have a steam oven, place the ramekins in a baking dish and pour hot water around them until it reaches approximately halfway up their sides.
- Bake for approximately 40 minutes. The custard should be set but still have a slight wobble in the centre.
To serve:
Allow the custards to cool completely, then refrigerate them. Just before serving, sprinkle a thin layer of sugar over each custard and caramelise it with a kitchen blowtorch.
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