Chef Juliette
English Almond Pudding
Butter worked to a true pommade carries almonds, eggs, orange-flower water, and cream into a tender pouding, gently set in a bain-marie and brought to the table in the very dish that baked it.
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Almond Pudding
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2480, Almond Pudding, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Six almond-lined moulds, gently poached until softly risen, with white-wine sabayon scented by orgeat. The lesson is simple and exact: the bain-marie must tremble, never boil.
Desserts
French
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
Make Ahead
25 min
Active Time
30 min cook•55 min total
Yield6 individual puddings
Pouding aux amandes (almond pudding) teaches controlled poaching. Its souffléd mixture must set without curdling, keeping a fine, tender crumb beneath its coat of grilled almonds. One true thing before you touch a pan: the bain-marie (hot-water bath) must quiver, never boil.
The original entry assumes Almond Souffléd Pudding (No. 2505) already prepared, a bank of metal moulds, a salamander for grilling the almonds, and a saucier free to whisk the sabayon (warm wine-and-yolk sauce) as the puddings leave the water. At home, six small moulds replace the brigade quantity, your broiler replaces the salamander, and one heatproof bowl makes the sauce while the puddings poach. The rows of moulds and separate saucier are scaffolding and can go. The almond lining, gentle poach, and last-minute sabayon are the dish and must stay. One cook, one stove, one evening.
Unmoulded, each pudding is pale and softly risen, with bronzed almond splinters fixed around its sides and orgeat-scented sabayon pooling at the base. Keep your attention on the water: a tremble gives tenderness, while a boil leaves the pudding riddled with holes. That is the step that matters most.
The name pouding carries an English pudding form absorbed into the Parisian grand-kitchen repertoire of entremets, then reshaped through French moulding, sauce work, and service. Almond milk, grilled almonds, and orgeat joined the confectioner's pantry to the sauce station, producing a dessert intended for the formal dining table rather than a regional farmhouse tradition. Unlike a free-standing oven soufflé, this pudding is judged by its fine, moist texture and gentle rise, both protected by poaching in a bain-marie.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
Almond Souffléd Pudding
Quantity
1 home-scale batch Almond Souffléd Pudding (No. 2505), enough for six 6-fluid-ounce moulds
prepared with almond milk immediately before filling
unsalted butter
Quantity
3 tablespoons (45 ml / 42 g), plus more if needed
very soft
slivered almonds
Quantity
1/2 cup (120 ml / 55 g)
large egg yolks
Quantity
4
granulated sugar
Quantity
1/4 cup (60 ml / 50 g)
dry white wine
Quantity
1/2 cup (120 ml / 120 g)
chilled, with 1 tablespoon reserved
orgeat (almond syrup)
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 40 g)
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Almond Souffléd Puddingprepared with almond milk immediately before filling | 1 home-scale batch Almond Souffléd Pudding (No. 2505), enough for six 6-fluid-ounce moulds |
| unsalted buttervery soft | 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 42 g), plus more if needed |
| slivered almonds | 1/2 cup (120 ml / 55 g) |
| large egg yolks | 4 |
| granulated sugar | 1/4 cup (60 ml / 50 g) |
| dry white winechilled, with 1 tablespoon reserved | 1/2 cup (120 ml / 120 g) |
| orgeat (almond syrup) | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 40 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •Six 6-fluid-ounce (180 ml) metal dariole moulds or ceramic ramekins
- •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
- •Small rimmed baking sheet
- •Medium saucepan
- •Heatproof mixing bowl
- •Balloon whisk
- •Fine skewer or cake tester
- •Instant-read thermometer
Instructions
- 1
Toast and line moulds
Set the broiler to high. Spread the slivered almonds on a small baking sheet and grill them close to the heat until evenly golden, turning once and watching without distraction during the final minute. They pass from bronze to bitter quickly. Let them cool, then switch the oven to 325°F (165°C). Brush six 6-fluid-ounce (180 ml) moulds copiously with the softened butter, covering the bases and sides without a bare patch. Sprinkle in the grilled almonds and rotate each mould until they cling all around.
If only a few almond tips scorch, discard those pieces and keep the golden ones. If the whole tray smells bitter, begin again. Burnt almond flavour follows the pudding all the way to the table. - 2
Fill the moulds
Have the Almond Souffléd Pudding (No. 2505) ready exactly as its own entry directs, using almond milk. Spoon it gently into the prepared moulds without pressing out its air, filling each about three-quarters full. Wipe the rims clean and arrange the moulds in a deep roasting pan with space between them. Pour very hot water around the moulds until it reaches halfway up their sides.
- 3
Poach at a tremble
Transfer the roasting pan carefully to the oven and poach for 22 to 28 minutes. The water should barely tremble, with no rolling bubbles, while the puddings rise softly and set around the edges. If the bain-marie begins boiling, lower the oven by 25°F (15°C) and add a cup of cool water around the moulds. Ça se rattrape if you cool it promptly. The puddings are ready when their centres still give a slight tremble and a fine skewer returns with moist crumbs rather than liquid batter.
A boiling bain-marie sets the egg mixture too violently and pits it with holes. Gentle water is not optional here. It is the technique. - 4
Whisk the sabayon
While the puddings poach, bring an inch of water to the barest simmer in a saucepan. In a heatproof bowl, whisk the yolks and sugar until pale, then whisk in the white wine, keeping the reserved tablespoon cold. Set the bowl over the saucepan without letting its base touch the water and whisk continuously for 6 to 8 minutes, until the sabayon triples in volume, holds a soft ribbon, and reaches 160°F (71°C). Remove it from the heat and whisk in the orgeat. If it begins looking grainy, lift the bowl away at once and whisk in the reserved cold wine. Ça se rattrape when caught early. Hold the finished sabayon over the warm water, off the heat, for no longer than 10 minutes.
- 5
Unmould and serve
Lift the moulds from the bain-marie and rest them for 2 minutes. Run a thin knife around each rim, place a warm dessert plate on top, and invert decisively. If a pudding clings, wrap the base of its mould in a hot damp towel for 10 seconds and try again. Spoon the white-wine sabayon around each pudding, leaving the grilled almond coat visible, and serve at once. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Metal dariole moulds give the cleanest shape and conduct the water's gentle heat quickly. Ceramic ramekins work, but allow several extra minutes and test the centre before unmoulding.
- •Butter the moulds generously. A thin film leaves bare spots where the pudding grips, while a proper coating fixes the grilled almonds in place and releases the dessert cleanly.
- •Choose a dry, lively white wine rather than a sweet or heavily oaked bottle. The sugar and orgeat already bring sweetness, so the wine must provide freshness.
- •Orgeat varies greatly. Use a syrup with a clear almond flavour rather than one tasting chiefly of sugar, because two spoonfuls must perfume the whole sabayon.
- •Leftover puddings can be chilled in their moulds for one day and rewarmed in a 300°F (150°C) bain-marie for 8 to 10 minutes. They will be slightly closer in texture and less risen, an honest change rather than an invisible one.
Advance Preparation
- •The almonds may be grilled and the buttered moulds lined up to one day ahead. Cover and refrigerate them, then let the moulds lose their hard chill while the oven heats.
- •The sugar, wine, and orgeat can be measured several hours ahead. Keep the yolks and wine chilled, but whisk the sabayon only as the puddings poach.
- •Do not hold the prepared Almond Souffléd Pudding (No. 2505) before filling the moulds. Its captured air is part of the dish, so prepare it after the moulds and bain-marie are ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 195g)
Calories
545 calories
Total Fat
34 g
Saturated Fat
14 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
19 g
Cholesterol
335 mg
Sodium
170 mg
Total Carbohydrates
44 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
30 g
Protein
14 g
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