Crème à la Régence

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6-inch (15 cm) shallow metal Charlotte mould or 3-cup (700 ml) round cake pan
• •Fine-mesh stainless-steel sieve
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Small saucepan
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Thin flexible knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the mould

   Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Butter a 3-cup (700 ml) shallow metal Charlotte mould in the thinnest possible film, paying attention to any fluting, and set it inside a deep roasting pan. Put a kettle of water on to heat, but don't let it reach a rolling boil.

2. 2

   Saturate the biscuits

   Break the biscuits à la cuiller into a heatproof bowl. Sprinkle them evenly with 2 tablespoons of the maraschino and 2 tablespoons of the Kirsch, turning until every piece is saturated but no liqueur remains pooled beneath them. Bring the milk just to a boil, pour it immediately over the biscuits, and press them below the surface. Leave them for 5 minutes, until completely swollen and soft.

   Use dry, crisp biscuits à la cuiller rather than soft sponge fingers. The dry biscuit absorbs the liqueurs and milk evenly; a very soft one collapses before it can take on the proper perfume.
3. 3

   Sieve the biscuit base

   Rub the softened biscuits and milk through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl, pressing firmly with the back of a spoon until only a few dry crumbs remain. A silk sieve was the professional kitchen's tool; fine stainless steel does the same work at home. Don't use a blender, which whips in air that can open into holes during poaching. Let the smooth base cool until warm rather than hot.

4. 4

   Mix the custard

   Beat 3 yolks together and weigh out 45 g for the precise half-yolk measure. Whisk the whole eggs, measured yolks, powdered sugar, and salt only until smooth, not frothy. Gradually whisk in the warm biscuit mixture. If thin threads of egg appear, the base was too hot. Ça se rattrape: pass the mixture immediately through the cleaned sieve, then cool it for 5 minutes before continuing. Skim away any foam from the surface.

5. 5

   Poach in bain-marie

   Pour the custard into the prepared mould and tap it once against the counter to release hidden air. Pour hot, nonboiling water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the mould. Poach in the oven for about 35 minutes, checking at 30 minutes. The edges should be set while the centre moves as one soft disc when nudged; an instant-read thermometer should register 170 to 175°F (77 to 80°C). Never let the bain-marie boil, because boiling cooks the eggs harshly and fills the cream with holes. If bubbles appear in the water, lift out one cup of hot water, replace it with cool water, and lower the oven by 25°F (15°C). The custard can then finish gently.

6. 6

   Rest and unmould

   Lift the mould from the bain-marie and let it rest for 10 minutes. Run a thin flexible knife just around the upper rim, cover the mould with a chilled rimmed serving dish, and invert them together in one confident movement. If the custard clings, wrap the mould for 15 seconds in a towel wrung from hot water, then lift again. Don't shake it. Chill the unmoulded custard until fully cold, about 2 hours.

7. 7

   Finish the syrup

   Put the apricot poaching syrup in a small saucepan and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until it lightly coats the back of a spoon. Remove it from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes, then stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon maraschino and 1 tablespoon Kirsch. Let the syrup cool completely. If it sets too sticky, loosen it with a teaspoon of water; if it runs like water, simmer it for another minute before adding the liqueurs.

8. 8

   Build the fruit crown

   Arrange the 8 apricot halves around the base of the chilled Crème à la Régence, cut sides up, forming a complete crown. Set one preserved cherry in the hollow of each apricot. Spoon the apricot syrup over the custard so it gleams and runs down the sides, then coat the fruit with the remainder. Let the cream stand outside the refrigerator for 15 minutes before serving so the liqueur perfume opens properly. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The source gives no fixed quantity for the maraschino and Kirsch. The measure here is deliberate: enough to saturate the biscuits and perfume the syrup, but not enough to leave the custard swimming in raw alcohol.
• •Outside the brief season for good apricots, use firm poached halves from a jar and reserve their syrup. The classical pantry solved this long ago; an honest preserved apricot is far better than a fresh one with no perfume.
• •Use a solid metal mould, never a springform pan. The bain-marie will find every gap in a springform, and diluted custard is one failure no towel can rescue.
• •Maraschino and Kirsch remain distinctly present, especially in the uncooked finishing syrup. If a guest avoids alcohol, the substitution won't be invisible; a plain crème renversée is the better companion for that table.
• •A few tiny bubbles at the edge aren't a calamity. Large holes through the cut surface mean the water boiled, which is why the bath, not the clock, deserves your attention.

Advance Preparation

• •The custard may be poached, unmoulded, and chilled one day ahead. Cover it with a deep bowl or cake dome only after it is completely cold so condensation doesn't mark the surface.
• •Prepare the apricot crown and liqueur-flavoured syrup separately up to one day ahead. Coat the custard within 2 hours of serving so the glaze remains bright and the biscuits retain their close texture.
• •Refrigerate leftovers promptly and eat them within 2 days. Keep the custard covered, since its milk-and-egg base readily takes on other refrigerator aromas.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 245g)