Orange, Curaçao, Anisette, and Bénédictine Puddings, etc.

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Four 6-ounce (180 ml) ramekins
• •Deep roasting tin for the bain-marie
• •Medium heavy-bottomed saucepan
• •Four small mixing bowls
• •Whisk and flexible spatula
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the bain-marie

   Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Butter four 6-ounce (180 ml) ramekins thoroughly, paying attention to the bottom corners, then stand them in a roasting tin. Bring a kettle of water just to the boil and let it settle while you prepare the puddings. The oven gives one home cook the steady, all-around heat that a deep poaching pan and an extra pair of hands once supplied.

   Arrange the moulds clockwise as orange, Curaçao, anisette, and Bénédictine. The three liqueur puddings look rather alike once poached, and memory becomes unreliable when dessert is waiting.
2. 2

   Prepare the Saxon base

   Prepare three-fifths of Saxon Pudding (No. 2504), keeping its order intact and stopping when the whipped whites have been folded through. Three eggs set the home scale, and every other ingredient follows at three-fifths, so none of the source formula’s ratios move. Use the mixture promptly. If the bowl still feels hot, set it on a cool damp cloth and turn the mixture gently for half a minute; the liqueurs should meet a warm base, never a hot one.

3. 3

   Divide and perfume

   Reserve 1/4 teaspoon of the orange zest for serving, then divide the base evenly among four bowls, preferably by weight. Fold 1 teaspoon orange zest and 1 teaspoon orange juice into the first portion; 1 teaspoon Curaçao into the second; 1/2 teaspoon anisette into the third; and 1 teaspoon Bénédictine into the fourth. Use only three or four broad folds for each. Spoon the mixtures into their buttered moulds, filling them no more than three-quarters full. If one portion loses a little volume, stop stirring and fill that mould slightly lower. Beating cannot restore the air, but the pudding will still be tender. Ça se rattrape.

4. 4

   Poach without boiling

   Pour the hot water into the roasting tin until it reaches halfway up the moulds, then transfer the tin carefully to the oven. Poach for 25 to 30 minutes, until the puddings have risen softly, their tops spring back under a light touch, and a slender skewer finds moist crumbs rather than wet paste. Watch the bath through the oven door. If the water begins bubbling hard, lower the heat and slip in a little cool water; the puddings are rescued before their edges toughen.

   Do not open the oven during the first 20 minutes. The folded base needs uninterrupted gentle heat while its structure sets.
5. 5

   Cook the crème anglaise

   While the puddings poach, heat the milk until the surface trembles and small bubbles gather at the rim. Whisk the yolks, sugar, and salt in a heatproof bowl until smooth, then pour in the hot milk slowly while whisking. Return everything to the saucepan and stir constantly over low heat until the crème anglaise reaches nappant, the coating stage, and a finger drawn across the back of the spoon leaves a clean path, about 180 to 183°F (82 to 84°C). Never let it boil. If it begins to look grainy, pour it immediately through a fine sieve into a cold bowl and whisk firmly. Ça se rattrape while the grains are tiny; hard curds mean the heat went too far.

6. 6

   Match the four custards

   Let the strained crème anglaise stand off the heat for 2 minutes, then divide it equally among four small bowls. Flavour the orange custard with the remaining 2 teaspoons orange juice and 3/4 teaspoon orange zest; stir 1 teaspoon Curaçao into the second, 1/2 teaspoon anisette into the third, and 1 teaspoon Bénédictine into the fourth. Cover the surfaces until serving. If they need warming, set the bowls over warm water. Do not return them to direct heat, because the liqueur’s perfume is the whole point.

7. 7

   Unmould and serve

   Lift the moulds from the bain-marie and rest them for 3 minutes. Run a thin knife around each edge, turn the puddings onto warm dessert plates or one oval platter, and spoon the matching crème anglaise around each one. Mark only the orange pudding with the reserved zest, leaving the liqueur puddings bare and keeping them in their established order. Serve at once, while the puddings remain tender and the custards flow in a soft ribbon. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose clear Curaçao rather than the blue sort. The flavour belongs here; the electric colour does not. A dry orange Curaçao gives the pudding fragrance without making it taste like confectionery.
• •Anisette is the loudest bottle in this company, so measure it with particular care. Half a teaspoon in the pudding and half in its custard is enough to announce anise without silencing the butter, egg, and milk beneath it.
• •Divide both the base and the crème anglaise by weight if you own a scale. Equal portions poach at the same pace, and each guest receives the same generous amount of custard.
• •The liqueurs in the crème anglaise are added off the heat, so those three sauces retain alcohol. For a guest avoiding it, serve the orange pudding and orange custard with separate utensils.

Advance Preparation

• •The unflavoured crème anglaise can be made up to 1 day ahead. Press parchment directly against its surface, chill it, then warm it gently over water and add the four flavourings just before serving.
• •Butter the moulds, grate and juice the orange, and measure each liqueur several hours ahead. Keep every flavour in its own covered cup so assembly takes only minutes.
• •The Saxon Pudding (No. 2504) base cannot wait once its whites are folded. Prepare it about 40 minutes before dessert, then divide, flavour, and poach it without interruption.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 235g)