Bavaroise

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •2-quart (2-liter) tall heatproof mixing bowl
• •Handheld electric mixer or large balloon whisk
• •Two small saucepans, or one saucepan and a kettle
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •4 heatproof 6-ounce (180-ml) cups or glasses

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the liquids

   Brew the black tea a shade stronger than you would ordinarily drink it, strain it promptly, and measure exactly 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (285 ml). Keep it covered in a small pan. Measure the milk into a second pan, set a tall heatproof bowl on a folded damp towel, and warm four heatproof cups with hot water. The towel replaces the steady hand a second cook once supplied; the bowl must not skate while one hand whisks and the other pours.

2. 2

   Beat to ribbon

   Beat the yolks and superfine sugar at medium-high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture turns very pale, grows thick, and falls from the beaters in a broad ribbon that remains visible for 2 to 3 seconds before leveling. This is the same visual test used in Pâte à Génoise Fine (No. 2376). It will look almost too thick at first. Keep beating; liquid added before the ribbon forms steals the drink's body.

   Rub a drop between two fingers. If you feel coarse sugar grains, give it another minute; the finished ribbon should feel smooth and satiny.
3. 3

   Temper with tea

   Bring the tea to a brief boil and begin heating the milk alongside it. With the mixer running, beat the capillaire syrup completely into the ribbon. Add the first quarter of the boiling tea one tablespoon at a time, then pour the remainder in a narrow, steady stream while whisking briskly without pause. If a few cooked yolk flecks appear, stop pouring, whisk in the optional cold milk, and strain the mixture into a clean warm bowl before continuing more slowly. Ça se rattrape. Large, firm curds mean the egg base must be started again.

   Pour against the inside wall of the bowl rather than directly onto the yolks. The hot tea spreads before it meets the foam, giving the whisk time to temper it.
4. 4

   Whisk in milk

   Bring the milk to the point where bubbles climb the edge and the surface begins to swell, then take it straight off the heat. Pour it into the tea mixture in a continuous thin stream while whisking at high speed, working in air until the drink is pale, fluid, and crowned with fine bubbles. Before adding the Kirsch, the mixture should register at least 160°F (71°C). If it falls short, whisk it in a clean saucepan over low heat just until it reaches that temperature, never allowing the yolk mixture to boil.

5. 5

   Finish with Kirsch

   Take the mixture fully off the heat. Pour in the Kirsch in a narrow stream and whisk for another 15 seconds, just long enough to distribute it and renew the foam; cooking after this point drives away the cherry perfume. Drain the warmed cups and divide the Bavaroise immediately, spooning an equal crown of foam onto each serving. If offered, set a finger of Pâte à Génoise Fine (No. 2376) on each saucer, never in the drink. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The source calls for powdered sugar, meaning sugar fine enough to dissolve quickly into the yolks, not confectioners' sugar bulked with starch. Superfine or caster sugar is the honest equivalent and preserves the source's exact four-ounce half-batch.
• •True capillaire syrup is perfumed with maidenhair fern and can be difficult to find. Use the same quantity of a 1:1 simple syrup made with equal weights of sugar and water; it preserves the sweetness and texture, though the faint herbal perfume will be absent.
• •Choose a straightforward black tea such as Assam or Ceylon, about 2 teaspoons (10 ml / 4 g) loose tea or 2 tea bags for the measured amount. Steep for 4 minutes and strain. Smoky tea overwhelms the Kirsch, while a perfumed blend competes with it.
• •Rum may replace the Kirsch measure for measure. For the source's other variations, infuse vanilla, orange peel, or lemon peel in the milk for 15 minutes and strain; for chocolate, dissolve 3 ounces (85 g) chocolate into the vanilla-scented milk. For coffee, use 1 1/2 ounces (43 g) freshly roasted beans and concass them, chop them roughly, before infusing them in the milk, or replace the tea with the same measure of freshly made coffee.
• •The Kirsch is added off the heat, so its alcohol remains. Serve the Bavaroise as an adult drink in small cups, and make only what the table will drink immediately.

Advance Preparation

• •Capillaire syrup or the 1:1 simple syrup may be prepared up to two weeks ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Bring the measured portion to room temperature before beating it into the yolks.
• •Pâte à Génoise Fine (No. 2376) may be prepared a day ahead and kept well wrapped, then cut into small fingers shortly before service.
• •Measure the sugar, milk, tea, and Kirsch before beginning, but do not beat the yolks in advance. Once the ribbon is formed, the preparation should continue through to serving.
• •Bavaroise does not hold well. If any remains, refrigerate it within 2 hours and use it within 24 hours; gentle reheating is possible, but the original foam will be lost.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 245g)