Fresh-noodle Pudding

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Pasta machine or long rolling pin
• •1-quart (1-liter) cylinder, charlotte, or deep pudding mould
• •Wide ovenproof saucepan
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Electric mixer or balloon whisk
• •Instant-read thermometer, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pâte

   Make the pâte à nouilles, the fresh egg-noodle dough. Mound the 75 g flour in a bowl, make a hollow, and add the small egg. Draw the flour inward with a fork, then knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until the dough feels smooth, firm, and faintly springy. If dry crumbs refuse to join, add the cool water a few drops at a time; if the dough sticks, dust it lightly with the rolling flour. Wrap and rest for 30 minutes so it rolls without snapping back.

2. 2

   Roll nearly translucent

   Divide the rested dough in two. Pass each half through a pasta machine, narrowing the setting gradually, or roll firmly by hand, until the sheet is about 1 mm thick and you can see the shadow of your fingers through it. Dust sparingly, fold loosely, and cut into ribbons about ⅛ inch (3 mm) wide. Shake them open and leave them for 10 minutes. Thinness is the dish here: a thick noodle keeps an obstinate chew inside the custard.

3. 3

   Prepare the mould

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Coat a 1-quart (1-liter) cylinder, charlotte, or deep pudding mould generously with the softened butter, reaching every seam. Sprinkle in the finely crushed instant tapioca, turn the mould until the coating is even, then tap out the excess. Set a folded kitchen towel in a deep roasting pan and place the mould on it; the towel keeps the vessel steady once the water is added.

4. 4

   Cook noodles in milk

   Follow the milk-cooking sequence of Tapioca (No. 2493). Bring the whole milk, sugar, salt, and 43 g butter just to a boil in a wide ovenproof saucepan. Sprinkle in the noodles gradually while stirring so they remain separate, then return the mixture to a gentle simmer. Transfer the uncovered pan to the oven for 20 minutes, stirring carefully after the first 5 minutes. The noodles are ready when completely tender and surrounded by thickened, glossy milk, with no firm line remaining at their centres.

5. 5

   Enrich with yolks

   Scrape the noodle mixture into a wide heatproof bowl, the honest home equivalent of the second saucepan used for brigade work. Stir in the remaining 35 g butter until melted, then let the mixture cool for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring twice, until warm rather than fiercely hot. Beat the yolks together, stir in a spoonful of the warm noodles, then fold the tempered yolks through the bowl. This pause protects the eggs from scrambling while the remaining warmth begins to bind them.

6. 6

   Fold the whites

   Whip the egg whites to a stiff but glossy froth, firm enough to hold a peak without looking dry. Fold one-third into the noodles to loosen them, then fold in the remainder with broad strokes from the bottom of the bowl. If that first addition melts flat at once, the base is still too hot. Stop, set the bowl over cool water for 5 minutes, and continue with the remaining whites. Ça se rattrape. The finished mixture should look airy, with no large white streaks.

7. 7

   Poach in bain-marie

   Spoon the mixture into the prepared mould without pressing out its air, leaving about ¾ inch (2 cm) at the top. Cover loosely with buttered parchment and foil. Pour freshly boiled water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the mould, then bake for 40 to 50 minutes. The water should remain calm, never bubbling hard. The pudding is ready when the top feels softly resilient, the centre no longer sloshes, and a thermometer reaches 170 to 175°F (77 to 80°C).

8. 8

   Rest and unmould

   Lift the mould from the bain-marie and let it stand for 7 to 8 minutes, no longer. Run a thin knife around the edge, cover with a warm serving plate, and invert decisively. If the pudding clings, hold a towel dipped in hot water against the base for 20 seconds and try again. Serve warm with crème anglaise, sabayon, or a smooth fruit sauce spooned around it. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Roll the noodles thinner than you would for a savoury dish. They must surrender their chew to the milk while retaining enough shape to make fine ribbons through the finished slice.
• •The governing formula perfumes the pudding with butter, not vanilla. If you want vanilla, put it in the crème anglaise accompaniment, where it adds fragrance without rewriting the pudding itself.
• •Use finely crushed instant tapioca for the mould, not large pearls. It follows the source's release coating while avoiding hard beads on the pudding's surface.
• •A charlotte mould gives the cleanest cylinder, but a deep 1-quart heatproof bowl works. Choose a vessel with smooth sides and leave room for the lightened mixture to rise slightly.

Advance Preparation

• •The pâte à nouilles can be kneaded and wrapped up to one day ahead. Refrigerate it, then let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling.
• •The pudding can be poached earlier the same day and left in its mould. Rewarm it, covered, in a 300°F (150°C) bain-marie until the centre reaches about 140°F (60°C), then rest and unmould.
• •A finished pudding keeps for up to two days under refrigeration. Its texture becomes firmer when cold, so serve it cool with fruit sauce or rewarm it gently in the mould.
• •The accompanying crème anglaise or fruit sauce can be made up to two days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 145g)