PINEAPPLE WITH CREMA CATALANA (Catalonia, Spain)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pints of milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 7 ounces of sugar
• cinnamon stick
• 1 scrape of lemon peel
• 1 pineapple

1. Making the crema catalana

First we will make the crema catalana. Heat the milk till it boils with the branch of cinnamon and the scrape of lemon skin. Beat yolks with the sugar. Once done, add the hot milk slowly (remove before the cinnamon and lemon). To thick the crema catalana put it in the oven at 350 º F about 12 minutes. Anyway do not trust so much the timer of the oven. Simply check from time to time and withdraw the crema when it gets a middle texture between the crème caramel and the custard. Reserve.

2. Preparing the pineapple

Cut along the pineapple to get two parts. Empty each part carefully to separate the flesh from the skin. Cut the flesh in small dices and put again in every half of the pineapple in disorder. Do not re-use the juice the pineapple gave when cutting.

3. The final presentation

Now you should pour the crema catalana – if still hot it will be more easy – over every half of the pineapple. Do not stir, just leave the crema covers the fruit. If some parts of the fruit are not covered just leave it. Now sprinkle couple of tablespoons of sugar over every half of the pineapple. You must burn this sugar using a hot plate or a pre-heated metal spoon. Be careful, all the sugar should melt and give to the surface a toast color.
You can serve cold or with the contrast of warm-cold between the fruit and the custard, both are nice. Usually we provide a bowl to each guest with some extra shovelful of crema to serve at taste.