Crème brûlée/Crema Catalana: France vs. Spain
Did anyone say set custard with sprinkled sugar on top, blow-torched, or grilled to create a crackly caramel crust? Oh, you mean Crème brûlée! Or did you mean Crema Catalana?
Crema Catalana, known to be flavored with citrus zest, is not so different from the Crème brûlée we all know and love. But which of them came first? Well, it’s not as easy as tracking down the earliest known recipe, especially when you consider that England, too, has a similar dish that they claim came first, the Trinity Burnt Cream!
As far as the English dessert is concerned, legend has it that a college student came up with it in the 17th century at Cambridge’s Trinity College, hence the name!
Truth is, we may never know who came up with this recipe first. What’s doubtless, however, is the fact that it’s finger licking good!
