Cuban
Gluten freeNatilla cubana
Lemon cinnamon custard
Natilla: Cuba's silky lemon-and-cinnamon egg custard, served cold in little bowls
Natilla is the custard Cuban grandmothers in Havana and Miami's Little Havana make for Sunday lunch, birthdays and any evening that needs something sweet from the fridge. It is softer than flan: milk is infused with lemon peel and a cinnamon stick, thickened gently with egg yolks and a little cornflour, then poured into small bowls and dusted with ground cinnamon. It contains milk and egg. The common mistake is boiling it hard once the yolks go in, which splits the custard into sweet scrambled egg; keep the heat low and stir the bottom constantly. It is ready when it thickly coats the back of a spoon and a finger drawn through leaves a clean line. Chef's tip: press cling film right onto the surface while it is hot, or a rubbery skin forms as it cools.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 6
- Per serving
- 210 kcal
Ingredients
- 3 ¾ cups whole milk
- 2 lemon peelwide strips, no white pith
- 5 ½ oz caster sugar
- 1 ⅜ oz cornflour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamonto dust
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Warm 3 ¾ cups whole milk with 2 lemon peel and 1 cinnamon stick in a saucepan over a medium heat until steaming with small bubbles at the edge, about 6 minutes. Take off the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.
16 minStep 2: Whisk 6 egg yolks, 5 ½ oz caster sugar, 1 ⅜ oz cornflour and 1 pinch salt in a bowl until smooth and pale, about 1 minute.
Step 3: Lift out the peel and cinnamon stick. Pour a ladle of warm milk into the yolks while whisking, then a second, then pour everything back into the pan.
Step 4: Cook over a low heat, stirring the bottom and corners constantly with a spatula, until the custard thickens and the first slow bubble breaks the surface, 6–8 minutes. Let it bubble gently for 1 minute so the cornflour loses its raw taste.
8 minStep 5: Take off the heat and stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract. If there are any lumps, push it through a sieve.
Step 6: Pour into 6 small bowls, press cling film onto the surface and cool, then chill for at least 3 hours. Dust with 1 tsp ground cinnamon just before serving.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does natilla cubana take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of cinnamon stick?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
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