Destination
Puerto Vallarta
The story
Jericalla is Guadalajara's most beloved dessert and the Mexican dessert most likely to be misidentified as flan by tourists: a cinnamon-and-vanilla-infused milk custard, baked in a bain-marie until set, and then broiled hard at the very end so the top blisters, browns and turns almost black in patches. It's essentially a Mexican crème brûlée but achieved with an oven grill rather than a blowtorch — and, importantly, without the sugar layer on top. The custard itself is not tremendously sweet; the burnt top provides the caramel edge. Sold at every Tapatío bakery, ice-cream shop and small restaurant, especially the classic La Fuente de Xolotl in Guadalajara centro, in small individual clay cups called cazuelitas.
Method
Preheat the oven to 160C. Put a kettle on to boil (for the bain-marie). Set 6 ramekins in a wide roasting tin, spaced apart.
Combine milk, cinnamon and split vanilla pod in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then turn off. Let steep 20 minutes to infuse.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and salt until pale and slightly thickened, 2 minutes.
Strain the infused milk into a clean jug, pressing on the solids. Reheat gently until warm (not hot). Very slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks while whisking constantly. Don't rush — hot milk poured too fast scrambles the eggs.
Divide the custard between the 6 ramekins. Pour boiling water into the roasting tin around the ramekins, filling to halfway up the sides. Bake 40 to 50 minutes until the custards are just set — a slight jiggle in the middle is correct.
Lift the ramekins out of the water bath onto a rack. Cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate at least 3 hours (or overnight).
Just before serving: preheat the overhead grill to the highest setting for 10 minutes. Set the cold jericallas directly under the grill (as close as the elements allow — 5cm below is ideal). Broil 3 to 5 minutes, watching constantly, until the tops are dark, blistered, and almost black in patches. Do not walk away.
Serve immediately after broiling — the top should still be hot and crackling, the custard underneath still cold. Dust lightly with ground cinnamon. Fresh berries on the side are a modern touch that works well.
Tips
- Chill before broiling. The temperature contrast between the hot broil and the cold custard underneath is essential. Broiling a warm custard just cooks it more; broiling a cold one caramelises only the top.
- The tops should be almost black. This is not a subtle browning. A proper jericalla top is deeply charred, faintly bitter, and cracks when you push a spoon through it.
- Steep the milk. Twenty minutes of infusion with cinnamon and vanilla is the flavour foundation. Skip it and the custard tastes flat.
- Bain-marie is essential. A dry oven cooks the custards unevenly and gives you scrambled edges. Water bath, always.
- Serve on the day it's broiled. The custard holds in the fridge for 2 days before broiling. But once the top is caramelised, serve within 20 minutes — the burnt top softens as it sits.
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