Pudding à la Bohémienne

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5-cup (1.2 L) smooth border mould or savarin mould
• •6-inch (15 cm) nonstick skillet
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Heatproof mixing bowl and small saucepan
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Thin flexible knife or small palette knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready fruit and mould

   Brush a 5-cup (1.2 L) smooth border or savarin mould generously with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter, coating the inner chimney, base, and rim. Chill the mould so the butter firms into an even film. Cover the currants with the tepid water for 15 minutes, then drain and dry them thoroughly; water left clinging to the fruit would loosen the apple purée.

2. 2

   Make the salpicon

   Put the apple, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon sugar, and the lemon juice in a small saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the apple collapses, about 8 minutes, then uncover and stir over low heat until the purée is stiff enough for a spoon drawn through it to leave a clean path. If it slumps or leaks juice, keep cooking gently; ça se rattrape. Mash or pass it through a sieve, cool completely, then fold in the candied fruit and drained currants. This is the salpicon, a finely diced mixture cohered here with apple purée. It must hold a small mound without spreading.

3. 3

   Rest the batter

   Whisk the flour, crêpe sugar, and salt together. Make a well, add the whole egg, and whisk while adding most of the milk gradually, keeping back about 2 tablespoons for adjustment. Whisk in 1 tablespoon melted butter and rest the batter for 30 minutes. After resting, add enough reserved milk to give it the flow of light cream; it should spread at once when the pan is tilted.

4. 4

   Cook tiny crêpes

   Warm a 6-inch (15 cm) nonstick skillet over medium heat and brush it sparingly with the remaining melted butter. Add about 1½ tablespoons batter and turn the pan to make a thin pancake about 4 inches (10 cm) across. Cook until the surface loses its wet shine and the underside is pale gold, about 30 seconds, then turn and cook the second side for 10 seconds. Make 10 crêpes, stacking them beneath a clean towel so they remain supple. If their edges crisp and crack, lower the heat and shorten the cooking; these must fold, not crunch.

5. 5

   Form the parcels

   Set a crêpe pale side up and place 2 scant teaspoons of salpicon just below its centre. Fold the two sides inward, then roll it into a small, closed rectangle. Repeat with the remaining crêpes. Arrange the parcels seam-side down in the chilled mould, packed evenly around the ring with their long sides following its curve. Keep the seams closed so the custard surrounds distinct parcels rather than carrying loose fruit through the pudding.

6. 6

   Add the custard

   Pour the Crème à la Vanille, Moulée (No. 2639) slowly down the inner side of the mould, letting it work between and around the crêpe parcels without opening them. The preparation should be strained, unfrothed, and still liquid at this point. Stop about ½ inch (1 cm) below the rim, let the filled mould stand for 2 minutes, then lift away any surface froth with the edge of a spoon.

7. 7

   Poach without boiling

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Cover the mould with parchment and foil, then set it in a deep roasting pan. Pour 185°F (85°C) water into the pan to come halfway up the mould; this bain-marie, the hot-water bath, lets the custard coagulate gently. Poach for 50 to 65 minutes, keeping the bath below a simmer, until the custard is set at the edges, trembles slightly at the centre, and registers about 172°F (78°C). If the bath begins to bubble, lift the roasting pan from the oven, add a little cold water around the mould, and lower the oven by 25°F (15°C). Ça se rattrape, provided you stop the boil before it riddles the custard with holes.

   Check the water after 20 minutes, especially in a dark metal roasting pan. The clock is a guide; the stillness of the bath is what protects the pudding.
8. 8

   Cool in the mould

   Lift the mould from the bain-marie and remove the covering so condensation cannot drip onto the surface. Cool for about 45 minutes, then cover and refrigerate in the mould for at least 4 hours. Do not attempt to turn it out while warm. Cooling in the mould is part of the construction, not waiting imposed on the cook; the custard needs that time to firm around the crêpe parcels.

9. 9

   Unmould at serving

   Run a thin flexible knife around the outer edge and inner chimney without cutting into the pudding. Dip the base of the mould in warm water for 5 seconds, dry it, place a chilled serving platter on top, and invert both together. Wait a few seconds before lifting the mould. If the pudding clings, return the mould and lay a warm damp towel over it for 20 seconds; don't pry, or the smooth custard will tear.

10. 10

    Whisk and coat

    Reserve 1 tablespoon of the wine. Whisk the yolks and sabayon sugar in a heatproof bowl until blended, then whisk in the remaining wine. Set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure its base does not touch the water, and whisk continuously until the sabayon triples in volume, turns pale gold, and falls from the whisk in a ribbon that rests briefly on the surface, about 6 to 8 minutes or 160°F (71°C). Remove it from the heat and whisk in the kirsch. If the sabayon begins to look grainy, take it off the heat at once and whisk in the reserved cold wine until smooth. Spoon it immediately over the cold pudding, letting it run down the sides and pool lightly around the base. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use the Crème à la Vanille, Moulée (No. 2639) in its turn-out form, the one with the fuller proportion of whole eggs. That extra albumen gives the chilled ring enough strength to release cleanly; the softer potted proportion won't carry the crêpe parcels.
• •Buy candied peel and cherries that still taste of their fruit, then cut them very small. A salpicon depends on even dice: large sticky pieces tear the crêpes and make the finished pudding difficult to slice.
• •A smooth savarin mould is the honest home equivalent of the classical border mould. Avoid an intricately patterned Bundt pan; every sharp groove creates another place for this tender custard to cling.
• •Kirsch sharpens the candied fruit without burying it under more sweetness. Serve a small glass of Sauternes or Barsac alongside, and keep the portion modest because the pudding already brings custard, fruit, and wine to the table.
• •Once coated, the pudding is best eaten at once. Uncoated leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for 24 hours, but sabayon loses its airy body as it stands.

Advance Preparation

• •The salpicon and crêpes can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate the salpicon in a covered container and stack the crêpes between parchment under a tight covering so their edges remain flexible.
• •The assembled pudding can be poached the evening before serving and refrigerated in its mould for up to 24 hours. Keep it covered once completely cold and unmould only shortly before dessert.
• •Sabayon cannot wait with dignity. Measure its ingredients ahead, but whisk and spoon it over the pudding during the final 10 minutes before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)