Bavarois Recipes

BAVAROIS

Steps:

• If using leaf gelatine, soak in cold water.
• Cream the yolks and sugar in a bowl until almost white.
• Bring the milk to the boil and whisk onto the yolk mixture.
• Place in a thick bottomed sauce pan and place on a low heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. The mixture must not boil just like when making custard.
• Remove from heat and add the gelatine, stir until dissolved.
• Stir occasionally until cool and almost setting point.
• Fold in the lightly beaten cream.
• Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites.
• Pour into a fancy jelly mould or individual moulds which have been lightly oiled. Refrigerate until set.
• Turn onto a plate and serve.
• Chocolate: melt 50g ( 2 oz) chocolate in the milk.
• Coffee: add some coffee essence or coffee granules in the milk.
• Lemon or orange bavarois: add finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons or oranges and a drop of orange or yellow food colour to the mix. Increase the gelatine by 2 leaves ( 10g).

BAVARIAN CREAM

Steps:

• In a small bowl, stir together the gelatin and cold water. Set aside to soften. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and salt until smooth.
• In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. Pour the hot milk in a steady stream into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and pour the custard through a strainer.
• Stir in the softened gelatin and vanilla and stir to melt the gelatin. Allow to cool.
• When the mixture has cooled almost to room temperature, whip the heavy cream to medium stiffness and fold it into the custard. Immediately transfer the Bavarian cream to parfait glasses, molds, or on prepared cake layers, as it will firm up quickly as the gelatin sets. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

APRICOT AND CHOCOLATE BAVAROIS

Steps:

• Cook fresh and dried apricots with sugar in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until apricots are softened and mixture is syrupy, about 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and purée in a blender until very smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Force purée through a very fine sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids and then discarding them. Cool to room temperature.
• Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup milk in a cup and let soften while preparing custard. Bring remaining 1 3/4 cups milk just to a boil in a heavy saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk together yolks and sugar in a bowl, then add hot milk in a slow stream, whisking. Pour custard into heavy saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and an instant-read thermometer registers 170°F (do not let boil).
• Add softened gelatin to hot custard and whisk until dissolved.
• Whisk custard into apricot purée and cool at room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Chill, covered, stirring occasionally, until custard is the consistency of raw egg whites, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove side of a 24-centimeter (9- to 9 1/2-inch) springform pan, then butter bottom and dust with flour, knocking off excess. Lock springform side around bottom.
• Melt chocolate in a double boiler or a small metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, and remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat.
• Beat yolks and sugar with an electric mixer at high speed until mixture is thick, pale, and forms a ribbon when beaters are lifted, about 6 minutes with a standing mixer or 12 minutes with a handheld. Beat in chocolate until just combined.
• Beat whites with salt in another bowl using cleaned beaters until whites just hold soft peaks. Stir one fourth of whites into chocolate mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
• Spoon batter into springform pan, spreading it evenly, and bake in middle of oven until chocolate base is springy to the touch, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack.
• Beat cream with salt in a bowl using cleaned beaters until it just holds soft peaks. Gently fold cream and lemon juice into custard and pour over chocolate base in springform pan. Chill bavarois, covered with a large inverted plate, until set, at least 10 hours.
• Run a thin knife around edge of pan and remove side.

PORTUGUESE LEMON BAVAROIS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine milk and lemon zest. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and strain zest from milk. Set milk aside.
• In a small bowl, combine water and lemon juice. Sprinkle gelatin over top and set aside until liquid is absorbed.
• In a large bowl beat egg yolks, sugar, and salt until mixture is light yellow and forms a slowly dissolving ribbon when beaters are lifted.
• Return milk to saucepan and bring it to a simmer over medium-high heat. Slowly pour the hot milk into yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return it to the saucepan. Place mixture over medium heat and cook, stirring, until mixture coats the back of a metal spoon. Do not boil. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin mixture. Let cool to room temperature.
• Oil a 3-quart ring mold. In a large bowl, combine cream and confectioners' sugar and whip until fluffy. Fold mixture into cooled custard. Spread in prepared mold, smoothing top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. To serve, briefly dip mold in warm water to loosen. Pat dry, then invert on a serving platter.

BAVARIAN CREAM

Steps:

• Put the split vanilla bean in cream and slowly bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let sit for 1 hour.
• Remove bean and scrape out seeds, add them to the cream and discard the pod. Sprinkle the gelatin into the milk and set aside.
• Whisk the sugar and egg yolks together. Warm the cream mixture back up and slowly whisk into eggs. Place mixture over simmering water and stir until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooded spoon. Remove from heat and add milk and gelatin mixture.
• Place bowl in ice bath and stir until at room temperature.
• Fold in whipped cream and pour mixture into 6 (6-ounce) ramekins. Place in refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours or until mixture is set. Remove from molds and garnish with strawberries.