Catalan Cuisine
Escudella, crema catalana, calçots, butifarra. Mediterranean gastronomy with personality.
Catalan Cream
A creamy custard made with egg yolks and whole milk, topped with a layer of caramelized sugar using a blowtorch or iron. This quintessential Catalan dessert is lighter than French crème brûlée and delicately flavored with lemon and cinnamon.
Original Catalan Cream
Catalan cream is distinguished from crème brûlée in that it is thickened with cornstarch instead of just egg yolks, and flavored with cinnamon and citrus zest. The caramelized sugar crust made with a blowtorch is its hallmark.
Catalan Escalivada with Anchovies
In Catalan, 'escalivar' means to roast over embers. This preparation of peppers and eggplants roasted until tender and smoky forms the base of many Catalan dishes and makes a sublime starter served with tomato-rubbed bread.
Catalan-Style Spinach
Catalan-style spinach combines the slight bitterness of wilted spinach with sweet raisins and toasted pine nuts — a sweet-savoury contrast typical of Catalan cooking. A quick sauté in olive oil with garlic, the plumped raisins stirred through and pine nuts added at the end. Simple, fast and full of character.
Catalan Cuisine: cooking guide
Catalan cuisine is one of the most technically refined and creative on the Iberian Peninsula. The sofregit, picada and samfaina are bases that appear across dozens of stews. Crema catalana — with its burnt caramel crust — is the most copied dessert in the world, and escudella i carn d'olla the definitive winter dish.