Guadalajara Burnt Custard (Jericalla Tapatía)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Eight 6-ounce ceramic cups or ramekins
• •Deep roasting pan for the water bath
• •Ladle

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the milk

   Place the milk, canela, sugar, and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the milk is hot around the edges, about 6 to 8 minutes. Do not boil it hard. You want the cinnamon to perfume the milk, not the milk to scorch on the bottom of the pan.

   Use real Mexican canela, the thin, papery cinnamon that breaks easily. The hard cassia sticks sold in many supermarkets taste sharper and flatter. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
2. 2

   Rest the infusion

   Turn off the heat, cover the saucepan, and let the milk stand for 15 minutes. This is where the canela does its work. Pull the stick out after the rest. If small cinnamon flakes stay behind, strain the milk through a fine-mesh sieve.

3. 3

   Temper the eggs

   Heat the oven to 325F. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk until smooth, not foamy. Slowly pour in about 1 cup of the warm milk while whisking constantly. Then whisk in the remaining milk and the vanilla. Slow pouring keeps the eggs from scrambling. No me vengas con atajos. Custard punishes impatience.

4. 4

   Fill the cups

   Set eight 6-ounce ceramic cups or ramekins inside a deep roasting pan. Ladle the custard mixture into the cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Skim off any surface foam with a spoon. Foam bakes into a rough top, and jericalla should scorch smooth and dark, not bubble like a bad omelet.

5. 5

   Bake in water

   Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cups. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the custards are set at the edges and still tremble slightly in the center when you nudge the pan. The water bath protects the eggs from harsh heat. Without it, the custard turns grainy.

6. 6

   Scorch the tops

   Raise the oven rack close to the broiler and turn the broiler on high. Leave the cups in the water bath and broil for 2 to 5 minutes, watching closely, until the tops blister and darken in patches from deep amber to nearly black. This is not creme brulee. Do not add sugar on top. The custard itself burns. That bitter edge is the point.

7. 7

   Chill and serve

   Remove the cups from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. Jericalla is best cold, eaten straight from the cup with a spoon that breaks through the dark top into the pale custard underneath. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Jericalla is not flan. Do not make caramel, do not unmold it, and do not serve it in a pool of syrup. If you want flan, make flan. This is Guadalajara's custard.
• •Buy canela from a Mexican market where the sticks are thin, tan, and easy to crumble between your fingers. At Mercado Libertad in Guadalajara, the spice vendors know the difference immediately. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado.
• •Use whole milk. Low-fat milk gives you a thin custard with no body. The dish is made from milk and eggs, so those ingredients have to carry the whole recipe.
• •The dark top should taste lightly bitter, not burned all the way through. Watch the broiler like you owe it money. Thirty seconds can be the difference between tapatío and trash.

Advance Preparation

• •Jericallas can be made one day ahead and refrigerated in their cups. Cover them after they are fully cold so condensation does not drip onto the scorched tops.
• •They keep refrigerated for up to 3 days. The texture is best on the first and second day, when the custard is firm but still delicate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 170g)