Orange Cinnamon Camp Custard
Crema catalana rebuilt out of powder, boiled in one pot, eaten warm from a mug.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 3.2 oz
- cal / oz
- 131
- protein
- 9 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total time
- 13 min
- water
- 300 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dessert
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Whole milk powder | 1/2 cup | full-fat, not skim; it stands in for the milk and cream |
|---|---|---|
| Cornstarch | 3 tbsp | replaces the egg yolks as the thickener |
| Powdered egg yolk | 2 tbsp | optional, for the yellow and the richness |
| Sugar | 1/4 cup | plus 2 tsp held back for the top |
| Dried orange peel | 2 tsp | grated fine, or 1 tsp orange drink powder |
| Cinnamon stick | 1 stick | ground cinnamon works, use 1/4 tsp |
| Salt | a pinch |
Method
- Drop the cinnamon stick into 300 ml of water and bring it to a boil. Hold it there a minute, then pull the pot off the heat and let it sit five minutes.
- Fish out the stick. Whisk the dry mix into the hot water a spoonful at a time, off the heat, until there are no lumps.
- Back on low flame. Stir constantly for two to three minutes. It will look thin, then thicken all at once.
- Kill the heat the moment it coats the spoon. Overcooked cornstarch turns gluey.
- Divide into two mugs. Scatter the held-back sugar over the surface and let it sit five minutes. It will not caramelize without a torch, but it gives you the grit on top.
The original is baked custard: yolks, milk, cream, an hour in a low oven. None of that survives a pack. Cornstarch does the same job as the yolks, thickening a hot liquid into something that holds a spoon, and it does it in three minutes over a burner instead of an hour in an oven you don’t have. Whole milk powder covers both the milk and the cream, since the fat is what keeps it from tasting like paste.
The cinnamon stick steeping in the water first is the one step worth the wait. Ground cinnamon dumped in with everything else reads as dusty; steeped, it comes through as background warmth. Dried orange peel carries the citrus that the fresh zest gave the original. The sugar on top is honest about what it is — texture, not a caramel crust.
Packing
Mix everything dry except the reserved sugar and the cinnamon stick into one bag at home. The stick rides loose; the reserved sugar goes in its own corner twist so you don't dump it into the pot by accident.
Variations
- Skip the cinnamon stick and use ground cinnamon if you want the whole thing done in five minutes.
- Lemon peel instead of orange, which is closer to the standard version.
- A spoon of instant coffee turns it into a thick dessert drink.
https://meny.no/oppskrifter/dessert/crema-catalana-med-appelsin