Pudding Or “Crème Reine des Fées”

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1.5-liter narrow scalloped Madeleine-mould or 23 x 13 cm loaf pan
• •30 cm wide sauté pan
• •Medium heavy-bottomed saucepan
• •Instant-read or sugar thermometer
• •Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
• •Piping bag with a 2 cm plain tip or two large spoons
• •Roasting pan large enough to surround the mold with ice
• •Clean lint-free linen cloth

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare fruit and mold

   Toss the diced candied fruit with the tablespoon of Kirsch and leave it for 30 minutes. Drain it with real care, then blot it on a clean cloth; loose liqueur would soften the meringue. Brush the inside of a 1.5-liter narrow scalloped mold or loaf pan with the thinnest film of neutral oil and chill it. You should see a sheen, not droplets.

   Choose firm pieces of candied orange, citron, and cherry rather than sticky chopped glacé fruit. The dice must remain distinct inside the pale meringue.
2. 2

   Make the quince meringue

   Make the quarter batch of Meringue à l’Italienne (No. 2383) by its own method, with the adjustment belonging to this dish: add the quince jelly to that preparation’s sugar while the sugar cooks, matching the sugar’s bulk by volume. Do not alter the stage or pouring method given in the referenced preparation. At the last moment, fold in the carefully drained candied fruit. Pipe or spoon twelve broad buttons, about 5 cm across and 1.5 cm thick, onto a strip of baking parchment. If they spread instead of holding their shape, keep whisking until the meringue cools; if it remains loose, set the bowl over ice and whisk briefly. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Poach the buttons

   Combine the poaching water, sugar, and Kirsch in a wide 30 cm sauté pan and bring them to a full boil. Lower the parchment strip, meringue side up, onto the syrup, keeping your fingers well clear. As soon as the paper releases easily from the buttons, lift it away with tongs. Reduce the syrup to a lively simmer and poach the buttons for about 45 seconds, turn them gently, then give the second side another 30 seconds. If the syrup tears at their edges, pull the pan off the heat for 20 seconds before continuing. If a button clings to the paper, ladle hot syrup over its base and wait rather than pulling. Drain the poached meringues on a clean, lint-free linen cloth and let them cool completely.

4. 4

   Cook the bavarois base

   Sprinkle the gelatine over the cold water and leave it to bloom for 5 minutes. Bring the milk just below a simmer. Whisk the yolks with the bavarois sugar until smooth, then pour in the hot milk gradually while whisking. Return everything to gentle heat and stir without pause until the custard reaches 82°C or 180°F and coats the spoon with a clear track when you draw a finger through it. Never let it boil. If it turns faintly grainy, remove it from the heat at once, blend briefly, and strain it into a clean bowl. Ça se rattrape before the eggs become firm curds. Stir in the bloomed gelatine until completely dissolved.

5. 5

   Make two bavarois

   Divide the warm custard equally between two bowls. Stir the vanilla into one. Stir the Curaçao and the smallest drop of pink coloring into the other; it should be shell pink, not red. Cool both bowls, stirring occasionally, until the mixtures are no longer warm and have just begun to thicken. Whip the cold cream to soft, billowing peaks, divide it equally, and fold it into the two bases. The generous cream and restrained gelatine are deliberate: this pudding should hold softly, not bounce. If a base sets before the cream goes in, rest its bowl over lukewarm water and stir only until fluid again.

6. 6

   Build alternating layers

   Spoon an even layer of vanilla bavarois into the chilled mold and set it over ice for 6 to 8 minutes, just until its surface can support the meringue without swallowing it. Arrange four cooled buttons over it, leaving a narrow margin at the sides. Add an equal layer of pink bavarois, chill until barely set, and repeat with four more buttons. Continue with vanilla, the remaining buttons, and a final pink layer, keeping the layers as even as you can. Each layer should be tacky when the next goes on; if it becomes firm, lightly roughen the surface with a fork so the layers bind rather than sliding apart.

7. 7

   Ice and unmold

   Lay baking parchment directly over the mold and cover it with its lid or foil. Set it in a roasting pan, pack ice closely around the sides, and refrigerate for 2 hours. To serve, loosen the upper edge with a fingertip and invert the pudding onto a chilled platter covered with a clean, unscented white napkin. If it clings, wrap the mold for a few seconds in a cloth wrung out in warm water; prolonged heat will soften those delicate layers. Lift the mold straight upward, bring the pudding to the table immediately, and cut generous slices. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use a firm, clear quince jelly with a clean perfume and enough pectin to stand on a spoon. Quince paste is too dense, while a loose preserve brings excess water and weakens the meringue.
• •Clear Curaçao keeps the bavarois pink and bright. An amber liqueur gives the correct orange flavor but muddies the color, which matters here because the alternating ivory and pink layers are part of the dish.
• •The smaller poaching bath preserves the source ratio while fitting a home pan. Its depth matters less than its width: the buttons need room to float without touching one another.
• •Serve the pudding very cold with coffee or a demi-sec sparkling wine. A sharply dry wine tastes severe beside quince jelly, candied fruit, and sweet cream.
• •Keep leftovers covered and refrigerated, and eat them within 24 hours. The deliberately low gelatine proportion gives a beautiful soft set, but it is not meant for long storage.

Advance Preparation

• •The candied fruit can macerate in Kirsch up to 4 hours ahead. Drain and blot it only when the meringue is ready.
• •The poached meringue buttons may be made up to 4 hours before assembly. Chill them in a single layer on linen, loosely covered, and blot away any syrup before layering.
• •Complete the layering at least 2 hours and no more than 6 hours before serving. Keep the mold packed in ice for its final 2 hours, as the source directs.
• •Do not freeze the assembled pudding. Freezing coarsens the whipped cream, encourages the low-gelatine bavarois to weep, and turns the delicate meringue spongy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 165g)