Leche Frita

This Basque dessert is in fact a very thick vanilla and lemon-flavoured custard, which is then cut up into small pieces, coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried, then dusted in cinnamon sugar. To me, it’s the perfect accompaniment to a café con leche at any time of day.

Rick Stein

Ingredients

• 500ml/18fl oz milk
• ½ lemon, finely grated zest only
• 1 large vanilla pod, split open and the seeds scraped out
• 4 large free-range egg yolks
• 100g/3½oz caster sugar
• 30g/1oz plain flour
• 40g/1½oz cornflour
• vegetable oil, for deep-frying

For the crunchy coating

• 40g/1½oz plain flour
• 2 large free-range eggs, beaten
• 200g/7oz breadcrumbs (e.g. panko)
• 25g/1oz caster sugar
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Method

• Grease a 19cm/7½in shallow square baking tin with a little oil.

• Put the milk, lemon zest, vanilla pod and its seeds into a non-stick pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and set aside for one hour to infuse.

• Put the egg yolks, sugar, flour, cornflour and a small splash of the milk into a bowl and mix to a smooth paste with a wooden spoon. Bring the rest of the milk back to the boil and gradually strain it over the egg yolk mixture, stirring all the time. Return the mixture to a clean pan and place over a medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5-6 minutes, or until you have a very thick custard. Pour the mixture into the tin and set aside to cool. Chill for a minimum of two hours or overnight until really firm.

• To finish, turn the set custard out onto a board and cut into 5cm/2in squares, then cut each square diagonally in half into triangles.

• Put the flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs into three shallow dishes.

• Half-fill a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan or deep fat fryer with vegetable oil and heat until a small cube of bread sizzles and turns golden-brown when dropped into it. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)

• Dip four triangles at a time into the flour, then the beaten egg and then the breadcrumbs, making sure they take on a good coating. Carefully drop them into the hot oil and fry for 2½ minutes or until crisp and golden-brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and leave to drain on a tray lined with plenty of kitchen paper.

• Mix the caster sugar and cinnamon powder together, sprinkle over both sides of the custard triangles and serve straight away.