Diplomate aux Fruits

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •8-inch (20 cm) round cake pan
• •7-inch (18 cm) straight-sided charlotte mold or cake pan, about 2 inches (5 cm) deep
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Blender or food processor
• •Electric mixer or balloon whisk
• •Pastry brush
• •Instant-read or sugar thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Poach and divide fruit

   Combine the 1½ cups water, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, and the split vanilla bean in a wide saucepan. Bring the liquid to a bare simmer, stirring only until the sugar dissolves. Add the peach wedges first and poach gently for 2 minutes, then add the apricots and continue until both fruits yield to a knife but retain their shapes, about 2 to 4 minutes more. Lift the fruit into a shallow dish and let it cool in enough syrup to cover. If a few pieces collapse, ça se rattrape: reserve those for the purée and keep the neatest pieces for the outer ring.

   A hard boil tears ripe fruit apart and clouds the syrup. Keep the surface at a quiet tremble.
2. 2

   Bake the fruit Génoise

   Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter and flour an 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pan, then line its base with parchment. Prepare the Pâte à Génoise Fine (No. 2376) according to its own entry, scaled to one-eighth of the formula. Drain and blot about ⅔ cup (90 g) of the poached fruit, dice it small, and fold it through the finished batter with two or three broad turns. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake until golden, springy at the center, and beginning to draw from the sides, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, turn it onto a rack, and let it become completely cold.

3. 3

   Build the fruit Bavarois

   Sprinkle the gelatin over the 3 tablespoons cold water and leave it to bloom for 5 minutes. Weigh 1 pound (450 g) of the remaining poached fruit and blend it with ½ cup (120 ml) of its syrup, the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Pass the purée through a fine sieve. Warm one-third of it until hot but not boiling, remove it from the heat, and stir in the bloomed gelatin until perfectly dissolved. Whisk this back into the cold purée, then set the bowl over ice and stir until the mixture cools and begins to coat the spoon like light cream. If it firms into lumps before the cream is ready, warm a small portion until fluid and whisk it back through the rest. Ça se rattrape.

4. 4

   Fold and mold

   Whip the cold cream with the confectioners’ sugar to soft peaks. The cream should bend from the whisk, not stand stiffly. Fold one-quarter into the cooled fruit mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remainder in two additions, lifting from the bottom so the Bavarois stays airy. Rinse a 7-inch (18 cm) straight-sided charlotte mold or cake pan with cold water and leave it faintly wet. Fill it with the Bavarois, smooth the surface, cover, and chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. It is ready only when the center is firm and moves as one piece when the mold is gently tilted.

5. 5

   Glaze the Génoise

   Level the cold Génoise if necessary, leaving a base about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick. Prepare the smooth apricot jam glaze to the small-thread stage according to The Cooking of Sugar (No. 2344), then brush a thin, even film over the top and outer edge of the Génoise while the glaze remains fluid. Set the base on its serving platter and let the glaze cool completely. If it tightens before you finish brushing, warm it gently just until it loosens; do not flood the sponge.

6. 6

   Turn out the Bavarois

   Drain the reserved poached fruit thoroughly and blot away loose syrup. Dip only the outside of the Bavarois mold into warm water for 3 seconds, dry it, and invert it onto a flat plate. If it resists, wrap the mold briefly in a warm towel and try again. Do not keep heating it, or the outer layer will melt. Slide the Bavarois into the center of the glazed Génoise. If it shows any sign of slumping, return the mold over it at once and chill again before proceeding.

7. 7

   Ring and serve

   Arrange the drained peach and apricot pieces closely around the Bavarois, following the exposed border of Génoise without spooning syrup onto the cake. Chill the assembled diplomate for 30 minutes so every layer settles together. Cut with a thin knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between slices. The Bavarois should hold a tender, clean edge above the fruit-flecked Génoise. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use fragrant fruit that is ripe but still firm. Very soft peaches and apricots make excellent purée but a poor decorative ring, so buy a mixture of ripeness if the market allows.
• •Out of season, good canned peach and apricot halves packed in juice are the honest answer. Drain them well, warm them for only a minute in the vanilla syrup, and proceed; preserved fruit at its best is better than fresh fruit with no perfume.
• •Weigh the gelatin if you can. Different spoons and brands vary, while 9 grams gives this quantity of fruit and cream a tender set strong enough to turn out.
• •The apricot glaze should be a thin glassy film, not a layer of jam. It protects the Génoise from moisture and provides the slight grip that keeps the Bavarois centered.
• •Serve with demi-sec Champagne or a lightly sweet Vouvray. The wine needs enough fruit and softness for the Bavarois, but not so much sugar that the peaches disappear.

Advance Preparation

• •Poach the fruit and bake the Génoise up to 2 days ahead. Refrigerate the fruit in its syrup and wrap the cooled Génoise tightly at room temperature.
• •Set the Bavarois in its mold the day before serving. A full night in the cold gives the cleanest turn-out and slice.
• •Assemble the dessert up to 3 hours before serving and keep it chilled. Add no loose poaching syrup until the portions are on their plates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 280g)