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Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2664, Pudding à la Richelieu, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Dark prune and Kirsch jelly encloses a pale vanilla Bavarois in this composed cold pudding, where a second iced mould creates the hollow and a breath of warm water releases it.
Pudding à la Richelieu (a prune-and-Kirsch jelly shell around a vanilla cream custard) teaches that temperature, not force, controls a cold mould. The dark shell must set firmly around an iced inner mould, and that inner mould leaves only when tepid water loosens its skin. Pull at it and the shell tears. Warm it for a few seconds and it lifts cleanly. That is the one true thing to know before you touch a pan.
The grand pastry kitchen assumed very stiff clarified dessert jelly ready at hand, a matched Charlotte mould with a tinned insert and handles, and enough ice to keep every station cold. Your honest equivalent is powdered gelatin, a smooth 900 ml metal mould, and a tall stainless tumbler that leaves a 2 cm channel around itself. This version serves six, not a banquet. The brigade scaffolding goes, but the equal parts of prune purée, reduced prune juice, and Kirsch jelly stay, as do the iced insert and the vanilla Bavarois (custard lightened with whipped cream and set cold). Those are the dish. One cook, one stove, one evening.
The shell should taste of prune first, with Kirsch lifting it rather than shouting, while the center stays pale, soft, and vanilla-rich. Cool the Bavarois until it only begins to thicken before it enters the hollow. Warm filling melts the shell, while fully set filling leaves gaps. The decisive step is the release of the inner mould: tepid water, five seconds, then straight up.
Pudding à la Richelieu belongs to the formal Parisian entremets table, where the Richelieu name marked a composed presentation rather than the cooking of a particular region. Its gelée shell and Bavarois center passed from grand service into household dinner cookery as smooth metal moulds and reliable gelatin became familiar tools. Despite its name, this is neither a baked pudding nor prune jam in a mould: it is a cold, carefully cast dessert whose jelly is a firm Kirsch-scented preparation.
Quantity
1¼ packed cups (300 ml / 200 g)
Quantity
3 cups (720 ml / 720 g)
Quantity
⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons (110 ml / 110 g)
Quantity
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (20 ml / 12 g)
Quantity
¼ cup (60 ml / 50 g)
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g)
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g)
Quantity
1¼ teaspoons (6 ml / 4 g)
Quantity
½ cup (120 ml / 124 g)
Quantity
½
split lengthwise
Quantity
2
Quantity
3 tablespoons (45 ml / 38 g)
Quantity
½ cup (120 ml / 120 g)
Quantity
About 3 cups (720 ml / 500 g)
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| pitted dried prunes | 1¼ packed cups (300 ml / 200 g) |
| cold water, for stewing the prunes | 3 cups (720 ml / 720 g) |
| cold water, for the Kirsch jelly | ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons (110 ml / 110 g) |
| unflavoured powdered gelatin, for the Kirsch jelly | 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (20 ml / 12 g) |
| caster sugar, for the Kirsch jelly | ¼ cup (60 ml / 50 g) |
| Kirsch | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) |
| cold water, for the Bavarois | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) |
| unflavoured powdered gelatin, for the Bavarois | 1¼ teaspoons (6 ml / 4 g) |
| whole milk | ½ cup (120 ml / 124 g) |
| vanilla beansplit lengthwise | ½ |
| large egg yolks | 2 |
| caster sugar, for the Bavarois | 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 38 g) |
| cold heavy cream | ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) |
| crushed ice | About 3 cups (720 ml / 500 g) |
Choose a smooth 900 ml metal Charlotte mould and a tall, straight-sided stainless tumbler about 4 cm narrower in diameter. The tumbler must leave a channel close to 2 cm wide on every side and, once raised by the pudding's 2 cm base, must still project above the outer rim so you can grasp it. Chill both moulds. Stainless steel is the honest equivalent of the tinned insert because it conducts the brief warmth needed for release without holding it.
Put the prunes and their stewing water in a saucepan, bring them just to a simmer, and cook gently for 20 to 25 minutes, until the fruit yields completely when pressed. Drain through a fine sieve, reserving every drop of liquid. Rub the prunes through the cleaned sieve and weigh out exactly 200 g of smooth purée. Keep any surplus for breakfast. The sieving stays because skins would interrupt the clean, glossy shell.
Return the reserved prune liquid to the saucepan and boil steadily until only 200 ml, or 200 g by weight, remains. It should taste concentrated and coat the spoon lightly without becoming syrupy. If it reduces below the mark, add cold water a spoonful at a time until the weight is exact. Ça se rattrape. Cool the reduction until barely lukewarm.
Sprinkle the 12 g gelatin evenly over its 110 ml cold water and leave it for 5 minutes to swell. Add the 50 g sugar, then warm the mixture over low heat, stirring until the liquid is perfectly clear. Do not boil it. Remove from the heat and stir in the Kirsch, giving exactly 200 g of very stiff jelly preparation. Let it cool until lukewarm but still fluid. The professional kitchen set prepared jelly and melted it as required; making it only to remelt it tonight is scaffolding, so this version proceeds directly.
Mix exactly 200 g each of prune purée, reduced prune juice, and fluid Kirsch jelly until the color and texture are completely uniform. Pour enough into the cold outer mould to make a base 2 cm thick, then refrigerate for 25 to 35 minutes, until firm under a fingertip. Keep the remaining mixture fluid at cool room temperature. If it begins to gel in the bowl, stand the bowl in barely warm water and stir just until smooth again; do not heat it further.
Dry the outside of the chilled inner tumbler and stand it in the center of the set prune base. Fill it to the top with crushed ice so its weight holds it steady. Check that the surrounding channel is even, then pour the remaining prune mixture slowly into that space, stopping level with the top of the outer mould. If the tumbler drifts, hold it centered for a minute while the ice begins setting the nearest layer. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until the entire shell is firm.
Spoon out all the ice and melted water. Fill the empty tumbler with tepid water, count five seconds, empty it, and lift the tumbler straight upward. Never wrench or twist it. If it resists, repeat with fresh tepid water for another three seconds rather than pulling harder. If the exposed prune wall looks shiny or slightly softened, return the mould to the refrigerator for 10 minutes before filling. Force tears the shell; controlled warmth releases it cleanly.
Sprinkle the 4 g gelatin over its 15 ml cold water and leave it to swell. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the milk, add the pod, and heat until small bubbles appear at the edge. Remove the pod. Whisk the yolks with the 38 g sugar until smooth, pour in the hot milk gradually, then return everything to low heat. Stir constantly and cook it à la nappe (until it coats the back of a spoon and a finger drawn through it leaves a clean line), about 82 to 84°C. If tiny grains appear, remove the pan immediately, whisk in 1 tablespoon of the measured cold cream, and strain into a cold bowl. Stir in the bloomed gelatin until completely dissolved.
Set the crème anglaise over a bowl of ice and stir until cool and just beginning to thicken, about 24°C. Whip the remaining cream to soft folds, not stiff peaks, and fold it into the custard in three additions. If the custard sets too firmly before the cream is ready, hold its bowl over tepid water for a few seconds and whisk it smooth. If it remains warm and loose, return it to the ice bath. Pour the Bavarois into the prune-lined hollow in two additions, tapping the mould gently against a folded towel after each to release hidden gaps. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
At the last moment, dip the outside of the mould in warm water for five seconds and dry it. Place a chilled serving platter lined with a clean, lint-free white napkin over the mould, invert both together, and lift the mould straight away. If the pudding does not release, repeat the warm-water dip for two seconds. Do not leave it soaking or the prune shell will slump. Slice with a thin knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts. À table!
1 serving (about 150g)
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