For the 10th edition of SoGood Magazine the challenge Joe and I ignited was on revisiting creme caramel!
Talk about a delicious piece of soft curd! But how could we shape this timeless classic in any different way? If you bake a regular creme caramel in a mold and try to freeze it to obtain shapes, it will be nothing short of a disaster… yes, trust me, I’ve tried! It splits and has an horrible texture… But it is during that failing process that I realized what was needed to glue it together. And so I used a recipe with a higher level of fat and a little pectin – and an heavy load of Tahitian vanilla from my friend Alain Abel. Then I coated the delicate cream with a caramel jelly and to support it all, I engineered a FABULOUS sponge cake based on fruit puree (here it’s cassis) and egg white – moist, bursting with flavor, I swear this cake is one of the best recipe of 2013!! (in my humble opinion of course – so I am going to use it in pastries, cakes, desserts and more!) Anyway, back to the creme de la creme… I finished the side with a semi pris of berries and balsamic vinegar and a little fresh micro lucky purple sorrel which happened to fit the top of the creme very well!
For the creme caramel purist out there, yes, I agree, the texture of the creme is not as “breaking” as with the classic version, mainly due to the addition of fat from the cream and the pectin, but hey, I think it still a very good attempt! ;)
The only down side I could find on the photos is my reflection on the caramel jelly as it was super shinny! I am definitely a better pastry chef than photographer! ;) lol
