Spanish Dessert Natillas Recipe

Instructions

• 1

  Take half a cup of cold milk, and dissolve the teaspoon of cornflour in it, making sure you stir well in order to avoid any lumps. Once it has been mixed in completely, put this aside.
• 2

  Pour the remainder of the milk in to a saucepan with the cinnamon stick, and heat it gently over a low to medium flame. This will subtly infuse the milk with the cinnamon flavour.
• 3

  Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks and sugar together in a separate bowl (preferably with a whisk), and once they have been mixed together, add in the cold milk and cornflour mixture. Stir well until everything is amalgamated into a smooth paste.
• 4

  Watch the milk carefully, and just as it begins to boil, take the cinnamon stick out of the saucepan, and pour in the mixture of milk, cornflour, sugar, and eggs.
• 5

  This mixture then needs to be heated gradually, taking care at all times to prevent it from reaching a boil. Keep stirring it continuously, until it begins to thicken.
• 6

  Once it has reached the desired consistency, take it off the heat, and pour the mixture out into a large bowl, or individual dessert glasses.
• 7

  Sprinkle the Natillas with a little ground cinnamon, and garnish with cinnamon sticks if desired – you may leave out the ground cinnamon, if you don’t want the flavour of the spice to be too over-powering. Allow it to set for a while, then serve chilled. Much like using stale cake in trifle, a biscuit is often added to the mixture when it is being poured into individual glasses or bowls, and this proceeds to rise and become soft as the Natillas cools. If you wish to do this, make sure you use a plain biscuit.