Leite creme is Portugal’s answer to crème brûlée — or perhaps the other way around, depending on which food historian you ask. The French point to a 1691 reference, the English make their own claims, and meanwhile Portugal has quietly been perfecting its version for centuries.
This is a stovetop custard perfumed with lemon peel and cinnamon stick, poured into shallow dishes and finished with a crackling burnt-sugar top. The conventual version is the oldest; this one leans toward the style common in Minho.
The recipe rewards good ingredients and patience at the stove — low heat, constant stirring — and repays you with the most satisfying moment in Portuguese dessert-making: tapping through that caramel crust.
Leite Creme Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 6 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Zest of 1 lemon, in large strips
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Additional sugar, for caramelizing
Instructions
- Heat the milk with the lemon zest and cinnamon stick to a gentle simmer, remove from the heat, and steep 10 minutes.
- Whisk the egg yolks, ¾ cup of the sugar and the cornstarch until smooth and pale.
- Remove the zest and cinnamon from the milk, then whisk the warm milk into the yolks gradually, to temper them without curdling.
- Return everything to the pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Pour into shallow dishes or ramekins, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate 3 to 4 hours.
- Before serving, sprinkle a thin, even layer of sugar on top and caramelize with a kitchen torch or briefly under the broiler. Let the crust harden for a minute, then serve.
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