Bavarois met Frambozensaus

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1-liter pudding mould or ring mould
• •Medium saucepan
• •Whisk and heatproof spatula
• •Fine sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer, helpful but not required

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the mould

   Brush a 1-liter puddingvorm, a pudding mould, with the barest film of neutral oil, then wipe it out so only a shine remains. Too much oil leaves a greasy skin, and that is not elegance, that is evidence. Put the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water and let them soften for 5 to 10 minutes.

2. 2

   Warm the milk

   Put the milk, vanilla pod and seeds, and salt in a saucepan. Warm it until the edge just begins to tremble and the vanilla smells round and sweet. Do not boil it; milk that has been bullied tastes as if it remembers.

3. 3

   Cook the custard

   Whisk the egg yolks and 100g sugar in a bowl until pale and thick. Pour the hot milk into the yolks in a thin stream while whisking, then return everything to the pan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula, until the custard reaches 82-84C or coats the back of a spoon so a finger drawn through it leaves a clear path. If it boils, the eggs curdle, and no amount of whipped cream will make them forget.

4. 4

   Add the gelatine

   Take the pan off the heat. Squeeze the softened gelatine leaves dry, whisk them into the hot custard until fully dissolved, then strain the custard into a clean bowl. Remove the vanilla pod. The sieve is not fussiness; it catches any egg thread or vanilla husk before it reaches the mould.

5. 5

   Cool it properly

   Let the custard cool, stirring now and then, until it is cool to the touch and slightly thickened, about 25C. It should pour like thin cream. This pause is the whole discipline of bavarois: too warm and it melts the whipped cream, too cold and it sets into little lumps before you can fold.

   Set the bowl over a larger bowl of cold water if you are short on time, but keep stirring and watching. Gelatine is patient until suddenly it isn't.
6. 6

   Fold in cream

   Whip the cold slagroom, Dutch whipping cream, to soft peaks. Fold one third into the cooled custard to loosen it, then fold in the rest with slow, broad turns until no white streaks remain. Stop there. Bavarois should be light, not beaten into obedience.

7. 7

   Fill and chill

   Pour the mixture into the prepared mould and tap it once or twice on the counter to settle any large air pockets. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. The cold does the real cooking now, setting the custard firm enough to stand and airy enough to tremble.

8. 8

   Make the sauce

   Put the raspberries, 40g sugar, and lemon juice in a small pan and cook gently for 3 to 5 minutes, just until the berries collapse and the sugar dissolves. Press through a sieve if you want a smooth sauce, or leave it softly seeded in the more relaxed Dutch way. Chill until serving.

9. 9

   Turn it out

   Dip the outside of the mould in warm water for 5 to 8 seconds, then dry it and invert onto a serving plate. If the bavarois hesitates, loosen one edge gently with a fingertip to let in air. Spoon the raspberry sauce around the base, not over the whole top, so the mould's ridges can still speak for themselves.

Chef Tips

• •Use gelatine by weight if your leaves are unusually small or large. You want about 10g total for this volume: enough to unmould cleanly, not so much that the dessert bounces back like school furniture.
• •The tide sets the menu, and so does the calendar. Fresh raspberries belong to summer; in winter, frozen raspberries picked ripe are more honest than imported berries with the flavour of red cardboard.
• •Do not whip the cream stiff. Soft peaks fold into the custard and keep the bavarois smooth; stiff cream leaves little white flecks and a heavier set.
• •For a very Dutch party-table variation, fold 75g crumbled bitterkoekjes, almond macaroons, into the finished mixture before filling the mould. Keep the raspberry sauce, because almond likes a sharp companion.
• •Serve with coffee, or with a small glass of advocaat if the occasion has already admitted it is old-fashioned. There is no shame in this. Some old fashions earned their seat.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the bavarois the day before serving; overnight chilling gives the cleanest unmoulding and the best texture.
• •The raspberry sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator.
• •Leftover bavarois keeps 2 days refrigerated, loosely covered. Do not freeze it; gelatine and cream thaw with a sulk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 195g)