Various Fruit Bavarois

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Blender or food processor
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Digital kitchen scale
• •1.5-litre metal Bavarois mold or loaf tin
• •Large mixing bowl and ice-water bowl
• •Balloon whisk or electric hand mixer
• •Instant-read thermometer, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Purée and sieve fruit

   Purée the chosen fruit until completely smooth, then pass it through a fine-mesh sieve and measure 2 cups (500 ml / 500 g) after straining. Hull strawberries, pit apricots, press raspberries without grinding their seeds, and remove every seed and strand from melon. This smoothness is not decoration; it is what lets the cream feel like silk rather than fruit pulp. Fresh pineapple is the exception: cover and simmer the entire purée for 3 minutes, then cool it completely. Raw pineapple contains bromelain, which prevents gelatin from setting; pineapple canned in juice has already been heated and needs only draining and puréeing.

   Buy more whole fruit than the finished purée weight, especially raspberries and pineapple. The measured 500 g is what remains after trimming and sieving.
2. 2

   Prepare mold and gelatin

   Rinse a 1.5-litre metal mold with very cold water and drain it without drying; the fine film of water helps the Bavarois release later. Sprinkle the powdered gelatin evenly over the 1/4 cup (60 ml / 60 g) cold water. Leave it for 10 minutes, until every granule has swollen and no dry powder remains.

3. 3

   Dissolve sugar gently

   Put half the fruit purée and all the sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Stir only until the sugar has dissolved and the purée feels quite warm, about 60°C, then remove it from the heat; boiling strawberries, raspberries, apricots, or melon would flatten the fragrance you bought them for. Add the bloomed gelatin and stir until perfectly clear, then mix in the remaining cool purée. If gelatin grains remain, set the pan over the gentlest heat and stir until they disappear. Do not boil it. If necessary, pass the mixture through the sieve once more. Ça se rattrape.

4. 4

   Find the setting point

   Set the bowl of fruit mixture over a larger bowl of ice water and stir slowly, scraping the sides, until it cools and thickens to the texture of light custard. It should coat a spoon but still flow freely. This is the step that decides the Bavarois: fold in cream while the base is warm and the cream collapses; wait until the base is firm and gelatin threads run through the finished mold. If it sets around the edges or turns lumpy, lift it off the ice and place the bowl over barely warm water, stirring just until fluid and smooth again. Do not add water.

5. 5

   Whip and fold cream

   Whip the very cold cream until it forms soft peaks that bend at their tips. This is crème fouettée (whipped cream), not stiff piping cream. Fold one-third of the crème fouettée into the fruit base to lighten it, then fold in the remainder with broad strokes from the bottom of the bowl. Stop as soon as no white streaks remain. Vigorous stirring knocks out the air, while timid folding leaves pockets of plain cream; confidence, not fuss.

6. 6

   Fill and chill

   Pour the mixture immediately into the cold mold, smooth the top, and tap it once against a folded towel to release any large air pocket. Cover and chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, until the center feels softly firm. Do not freeze it, as freezing weakens the cream and gives the thawed Bavarois a wet, grainy texture. If it remains too tender to unmold, give it another 2 hours. If it never firms because raw pineapple met the gelatin or the gelatin was mismeasured, spoon it into chilled glasses and serve it as a soft cream. Never apologize at your own table.

7. 7

   Unmold and serve

   Dip the outside of the mold in warm water for 5 to 8 seconds, dry it, and press the top edge gently away from the mold with a clean fingertip. Invert a cold serving platter over it, turn both together, and lift the mold straight up. If it clings, return only the outside of the mold to warm water for another 2 seconds; too much warmth melts the surface. Arrange the optional matching fruit loosely around the base and serve the Bavarois cold. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose one fruit, not all five. The entry describes variations built on one formula, and mixing them muddies the flavor. A strawberry Bavarois should taste unmistakably of strawberry before the spoon reaches your mouth.
• •Ripe fruit or none. Smell the strawberries, apricots, or melon before buying; if their scent is faint, their purée will be fainter still. Sugar sweetens an underripe fruit but cannot restore its perfume.
• •The classical pantry gives you honest alternatives. Frozen raspberries thaw into an excellent purée, while apricots or pineapple canned in juice work well when drained. Fresh strawberry and melon versions should wait until properly fragrant fruit is available.
• •Weigh the gelatin if you can. Twelve grams gives this quantity a clean unmolding set with a slight tremble; piling in more produces a rubbery dessert, and no amount of cream disguises it.
• •For pineapple, the brief simmer is the dish, not optional preparation. Heat disables the enzyme that attacks gelatin. Canned pineapple in juice is already safe to use, but pineapple packed in heavy syrup makes the Bavarois cloying.

Advance Preparation

• •The fruit purée can be prepared and strained a day ahead. Keep it covered and cold, then bring the measured portion out when you begin the gelatin base.
• •The finished Bavarois is best made the day before serving and keeps well, covered and chilled, for 2 days. Add the fresh fruit only after unmolding.
• •For a picnic, divide the mixture among eight lidded 125 ml glasses or jars and skip unmolding. Chill them overnight, carry them packed against ice, and serve straight from the cooler.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 135g)