Various Preparations

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1 litre heavy-bottomed saucepan
• •Heatproof whisk and flexible spatula
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Two nesting metal bowls for an ice bath
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Electric hand mixer or balloon whisk
• •600 ml metal mould or small loaf tin

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the cold

   Set a 600 ml metal mould in the freezer. Fill a large bowl one-third full with ice and cold water, then nest a clean metal bowl inside without letting water spill over its rim. Have the sieve ready above it. Cooling begins the moment the custard leaves the heat, so arrange this before you touch the yolks.

2. 2

   Cook the crème anglaise

   Warm the milk in a small heavy saucepan until bubbles gather around the edge. Whisk the yolks and sugar together immediately until smooth, then pour in the milk gradually while whisking. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring continuously into every corner, until the crème anglaise reaches 82 to 84°C and coats the back of a spoon. Draw a finger through the coating; the line should remain clean. Never let it boil. If the first fine grains appear, pull the pan from the heat, set its base in the ice bath, and whisk hard before straining. Ça se rattrape. Distinct scrambled curds have gone too far, and that custard must be remade.

3. 3

   Chill and whisk

   Strain the crème anglaise immediately into the bowl over ice. Stir until it is cold throughout and has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes, scraping the sides often so no warm pockets remain. Chill it for another 20 minutes if necessary, then whisk the cold custard for 2 to 3 minutes until paler and a little lighter. This stirring and whisking perform the work once done by fanning the basin over ice.

4. 4

   Whip the cream softly

   Reserve 1 tablespoon of the measured cold cream. Whip the remainder in a cold bowl until it forms soft peaks that bend at their tips, yielding about 1¼ cups. Stop there. Stiff cream folds badly and leaves buttery grains in the biscuit glacé. If you carry it a little too far, add the reserved liquid cream and fold gently by hand until the texture smooths.

5. 5

   Fold and mould

   Whisk one-quarter of the whipped cream into the cold crème anglaise to lighten it. Add the remaining cream in two portions, folding from the bottom of the bowl and turning the bowl as you work. Stop as soon as no white streaks remain. Pour the mixture into the chilled mould, tap it once against a folded towel to settle any large air pockets, level the top, and cover it closely. Do not churn it later; the folded cream supplies the lightness this preparation requires.

6. 6

   Freeze and unmould

   Freeze in the coldest part of the freezer for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, until firm through the centre. To unmould, dip the outside of the mould in warm water for 5 to 8 seconds, wipe it dry, and invert it onto a chilled platter. If it holds, repeat for only 3 seconds; patience, not force. Cut with a knife dipped in warm water and wiped dry between slices. Serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •This is exactly one quarter of the source formula: 113 g sugar, three yolks, 142 ml milk, and 285 ml finished whipped cream. The quantity changed; the proportions did not.
• •The source measures whipped cream after whipping. For a practical home measure, 145 ml of 35% cream should expand to roughly 285 ml at soft peaks, while the remaining tablespoon is held back to rescue cream taken slightly too far.
• •Use real heavy cream. Lower-fat cream will not hold the air needed to lighten the custard, and a manufactured fat substitute changes both the texture and the clean dairy finish.
• •An ice cream machine is unnecessary here. Biscuit glacé is frozen after its air has been folded in, not churned as it freezes; stirring it later breaks the structure you worked to build.
• •Let the unmoulded dessert stand for 3 to 5 minutes before cutting if your freezer runs especially cold. It should slice cleanly but yield under the spoon, not arrive hard as a paving stone.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare and freeze the biscuit glacé the day before serving. The overnight rest gives the centre time to freeze evenly and makes unmoulding calmer.
• •Once fully frozen, cover the mould tightly. It keeps for up to one week, though its texture is finest within three days.
• •For batch preparation, double the ingredients and divide the mixture between two 600 ml moulds. Keeping the original depth allows both to freeze evenly without changing the method.
• •Do not thaw and refreeze. Unmould only the quantity you intend to serve, or return the remaining mould to the freezer promptly before its edges soften.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 77g)