Crème à la Viennoise, Moulée

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •900 ml metal charlotte mould or smooth loaf tin
• •Small light-coloured heavy saucepan
• •Deep roasting tin for the bain-marie
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the bare mould

   Heat the oven to 150°C/300°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. Set a clean, ungreased 900 ml metal charlotte mould or smooth loaf tin inside a deep roasting tin, and bring a kettle of water almost to the boil. Leave the mould bare: in the source, Another Method of Preparing Aspics de Filets de Soles (No. 916) explains the phrase clothing the mould through a literal coating technique, but this custard is defined by not clothing its mould with caramel.

2. 2

   Infuse the milk

   Put the milk and split vanilla bean in a small saucepan. Heat gently until the milk trembles at the edge but does not boil, then cover and leave it for 10 minutes. Reheat it until quite hot before making the caramel; hot milk dissolves caramel more readily and causes a less violent temperature shock than cold milk.

3. 3

   Dissolve the caramel

   Spread the 100 g sugar evenly in a clean, light-coloured heavy saucepan. Set it over medium heat and let the edges begin to liquefy, drawing the dry sugar gently toward the melted patches until everything is fluid. Swirl the pan until the caramel reaches a clear chestnut amber, then remove it from the heat. Take out the vanilla bean and add the hot milk in four cautious additions, stirring with a long-handled spoon and keeping your face and hands away from the surge. The caramel will probably seize into hard pieces. Ça se rattrape: return the pan to low heat and stir until every shard has dissolved and the milk is smooth and evenly amber. Let it cool for 5 minutes.

4. 4

   Mix without foam

   Whisk the eggs, yolks and remaining 65 g sugar only until evenly blended. Don't beat them into a froth, because every trapped bubble becomes a hole in the finished custard. Pour in one-third of the warm caramel milk while whisking, then add the remainder in a steady stream. If a few threads of egg appear, stop worrying and strain them out; only a thick mass of scrambled egg calls for starting again.

5. 5

   Strain and poach

   Pass the custard through a fine sieve into a jug, let it stand for 3 minutes, then skim away any foam. Pour it into the bare mould. Set the roasting tin in the oven and add enough hot water to reach halfway up the mould, making a bain-marie, or water bath. Lay a small sheet of baking parchment loosely over the mould and bake for 45 to 55 minutes. The edges should be set and the centre should tremble as one piece, not ripple like liquid; a thermometer will read about 80°C/176°F. If the water begins bubbling, replace a cup of it with cool water and lower the oven to 135°C/275°F. Boiling water makes a honeycombed custard.

6. 6

   Cool and chill

   Lift the mould from the bain-marie and cool it on a rack for about 1 hour. Cover only when it has stopped giving off warmth, then chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. This rest finishes the set and gives the caramel flavour time to settle through the custard. Trying to turn it out while warm is impatience wearing an apron.

7. 7

   Turn onto the platter

   Run a thin knife once around the upper edge without digging into the custard. Dip the base and sides of the mould in hot water for 8 seconds, dry the outside, place a chilled platter over it and invert both together with confidence. If it clings, return the mould to the hot water for another 5 seconds; don't shake it into submission. Lift the mould straight up and serve the Crème à la Viennoise cold, without extra caramel sauce or decoration. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A pale stainless-steel saucepan lets you judge the caramel honestly. In a dark pan, chestnut amber and burnt black can look identical until your nose delivers the bad news.
• •Whisk quietly. A moulded custard should have a close, silken interior, and vigorous beating fills it with bubbles before it reaches the oven.
• •The clean platter is intentional. Crème au caramel gives you syrup beneath the custard; Crème à la Viennoise carries that caramel through every bite instead. Adding a pool of sauce would erase the distinction.
• •Keep the custard covered in its mould for up to three days. Once turned out, serve it the same day so the surface remains smooth and satiny.

Advance Preparation

• •Bake the custard one or two days before serving and keep it covered in its mould. The long chill improves both the set and the caramel flavour.
• •Turn it out up to 30 minutes before dessert and return the platter to the cold. Do not freeze it, because freezing separates the custard and leaves it watery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 145g)