Bavarois Clermont

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •750 ml charlotte or fluted Bavarois mold
• •Small heavy-bottomed saucepan
• •Flexible heatproof spatula
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Large bowl for an ice bath
• •Balloon whisk

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare mold and marrons

   Rinse a 750 ml charlotte or fluted mold with very cold water, drain it without wiping, and place it in the cold. Break the measured marrons glacés into small, irregular pieces with your fingers and keep the whole ones intact for serving. Never chop them: a knife crushes the tender centres and drags their sugar into a sticky paste.

   Broken marrons glacés are often sold less dearly than perfect whole ones. Use those inside the Bavarois and save the fine whole chestnuts for its crown.
2. 2

   Bloom the gelatin

   Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the cold water in a small bowl. Leave it undisturbed for 5 to 10 minutes, until every grain has swollen and the mixture resembles a firm gel. Proper blooming prevents stubborn threads of gelatin from appearing in the finished Bavarois.

3. 3

   Infuse the vanilla

   Put the milk in a small saucepan. Scrape in the vanilla seeds, add the pod, and bring the milk just to the edge of a simmer. Remove it from the heat, cover, and infuse for 10 minutes, then discard the pod. The milk should smell distinctly of vanilla before it meets the yolks.

4. 4

   Cook the crème anglaise

   Whisk the yolks and sugar until smooth and slightly pale. Pour in the hot vanilla milk a little at a time, whisking constantly, then return everything to the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring continuously with a flexible spatula, until the crème anglaise, the pouring custard, coats the spatula and reaches 82 to 84°C. Do not boil it. If a few tiny curds appear, pull the pan from the heat, whisk in a spoonful of the measured cold cream, and strain immediately; ça se rattrape. A fully scrambled custard must be begun again.

5. 5

   Dissolve and cool

   Remove the custard from the heat and stir in the bloomed gelatin until it disappears completely. Strain into a clean bowl, then set that bowl over ice water and stir gently until the custard reaches about 21°C and has the body of lightly thickened cream. This is the moment that decides the dish. If gelatin begins setting around the edge, set the bowl over barely warm water for a few seconds and stir until smooth again. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Fold the vanilla Bavarois

   Whip the cold cream to soft peaks that bend over when the whisk is lifted. Fold one-third into the cooled custard to lighten it, then fold in the remainder with broad turns of the spatula, stopping as soon as no white streaks remain. You now have about one pint of vanilla Bavarois preparation. If the custard feels warm against your finger before folding, return it to the ice bath; warm custard melts the cream and costs the Bavarois its lightness.

7. 7

   Work in the chestnuts

   Put the candied chestnut purée in a wide bowl and stir in a generous spoonful of the vanilla Bavarois until completely smooth. Add another spoonful, then fold this loosened mixture through the remaining Bavarois. Fold in the hand-broken marrons last, distributing them without crushing them. The purée and broken marrons are each held to three ounces for the pint of preparation; this proportion is the Clermont identity, not brigade scaffolding.

8. 8

   Mold and chill

   Spoon the mixture into the cold mold, easing it into the flutes and corners with the spatula so no large air pockets remain. Level the top without pressing out the cream, cover, and chill for at least 4 hours, preferably 6, until the centre is softly firm. Do not freeze it to hurry the set; thawed Bavarois can weep and lose its delicate texture.

9. 9

   Unmold and crown

   Dip only the outside of the mold in warm water for 5 seconds, dry it, place a chilled serving plate over the top, and invert with confidence. If the Bavarois clings, wrap the mold briefly in a warm towel and try again rather than shaking it. Arrange the whole marrons glacés shoulder to shoulder around the base as a crown. Serve cold, cutting down through the mold so every portion receives purée, broken marrons, and one whole chestnut. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Buy crème de marrons, the sweetened candied chestnut purée, not plain unsweetened chestnut purée. The source calls for the candied preparation, and the two are not interchangeable without changing the dessert.
• •Break the interior marrons with your fingers. Their irregular soft edges disappear pleasantly into the cream, while knife-cut pieces become sticky cubes surrounded by chestnut paste.
• •Gelatin should support the Bavarois without announcing itself. Five grams gives this batch a tender molded set; piling in more makes the dessert rubbery and dulls the cream.
• •Serve with black coffee or a small glass of Armagnac. The dessert already carries ample sweetness, so it needs contrast, not another sugary decoration.

Advance Preparation

• •Make and mold the Bavarois the day before serving. An overnight chill gives the gelatin an even set and makes unmolding calmer.
• •Keep the molded dessert covered in the cold for up to 2 days. Unmold and add the crown shortly before serving so the whole marrons retain their lacquered surface.
• •The interior marrons may be broken a day ahead and kept tightly covered. Leave the crown whole and in its packaging until the dessert is ready for the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 130g)