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Additional Information
- 225ml milk
- 225ml double cream
- 1 vanilla pod, split in half lengthways and seeds scraped out
- 100g caster sugar
- 5 egg yolks
- 100g breadcrumbs
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 200g raspberry jam
- Milk Ganache:
- 120g whipping cream
- 200g Chopped Milk Chocolate
- Meringue Topping:
- 4 egg whites
- 110g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp icing sugar, for dusting
1.
Preheat the oven to 160°C/315°F/Gas 2.2.
To make the puddings, pour the milk and cream into a pan and stir in the vanilla seeds. Bring slowly to the boil over a medium-low heat.3.
Meanwhile, put the caster sugar and egg yolks into a large bowl and whisk until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the hot milk and cream, whisking continuously, then stir in the breadcrumbs and lemon zest.4.
Pour the pudding mixture into individual large ramekins and put them on a rack set in a baking tin. Pour in enough just-boiled water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins and carefully put the tin in the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the puddings are almost set but still slightly wobbly in the centre. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.5.
Turn up the oven temperature to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5.6.
To make the milk ganache, bring the cream to the boil then add the chocolate drops. Remove from the heat and whisk until the chocolate melts, then set aside.7.
Divide the jam between the ramekins and spread it over the top of each pudding in an even layer. Gently pour the warm ganache over the jam.8.
To make the meringue topping, put the egg whites into a large clean bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form. Gradually whisk in the caster sugar, a tablespoonful at a time. Spoon the meringue on top of the puddings.9.
Sprinkle the puddings with the icing sugar and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the meringue is crisp and lightly browned. Serve immediately.
Notes to help you get the most out of your cocoa and chocolate.
Depending on the kind of cocoa you use, how much you use and how you use it, cocoa and chocolate will have a different effect on the taste and experience of your dishes. In each of our recipes, we’ll tell you how much influence it will have, in our cocoa notes:
Low – a subtle hint, playing a bass note in the harmony of flavours.
Medium – a rich interplay of cocoa with other leading ingredients.
High – cocoa starring role.
The Character of Cocoa
The flavour of cocoa and the chocolate it produces varies depending on where the cocoa is grown. Different growing regions have different personalities, each pairing well with other ingredients.
Madagascar, Vietnam
Fruit-led flavours, refreshing in the mouth – perfect with fruits, dark meats and game.
Saint Lucia, Trinidad, Java
Complex and multi-layered flavours jostling for position. Goes with pork, chicken and wines.
Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Peru, Ecuador
Roasted flavours, led by mellow notes of roasted nuts. Ideal with fish, eggs and desserts.
Demystifying Cocoa Percentages
The percentages used on chocolate labels can sometimes seem a bit confusing. A 40% milk chocolate, for example, is not made with 40% milk. The percentage always refers to the amount of cocoa used in the recipe, and the rest will either be all sugar (darks) or milk and sugar (milks/whites).
You’ll find higher percentages in dark chocolate recipes, with less in milk, and least in white. Surprisingly, one of the UK’s most famous dark chocolates contains just 39% cocoa, and its milk counterpart only 23%. That means the largest ingredient overall is sugar. We believe this is wrong. We always prefer to use more cocoa in our chocolate for an authentic and satisfying cocoa hit. We put 40 – 70% cocoa in our milk and Supermilk chocolate, and 70-100% in our dark.
Our white chocolate has a much higher cocoa percentage than average, at 36%.
Sugar only costs a tenth of the price of even the cheapest cocoa beans, so it’s no wonder that it is tempting for low – quality makers to use so much of it. But in the world of fine chocolate, deciding on whether to use, say 73% or 75% cocoa in a recipe is the chocolatier’s choice and depends on the quality, character and flavour profile of the bean harvest. In many ways, deciding the cocoa percentage is like deciding the alcohol level in a good wine.
How To Melt Your Chocolate
In a Bain-Marie (recommended)
This traditional method offers a great deal of control. Put your chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, ensuring the bowl doesn’t actually touch the hot water (or it can burn the chocolate). Heat in the steam for about 2 minutes until fully melted, stirring occasionally.
In a Microwave
Put your chocolate in the microwave on high power for a total of 40-50 seconds, but only in 10 second bursts, stirring in between to ensure it doesn’t burn. Stop when fully melted.
Essential Cocoa Nib Know-How
Knowing how to extract the best flavours from your cocoa nibs is essential to many of our recipes. It’s easy to buy cocoa nibs these days, but they can be of variable quality. Follow our tips below to make sure you get the most flavour possible from your nibs.
Awakening your Nibs
Often your nibs will have a silver grey hue to them as they have oxidised around the outside. This is harmless, but we recommend you grind them vigorously in a pestle and mortar for 30 seconds. You’ll see the nibs turn a gorgeous mahogany brown, their amazing flavour and aroma awoken at the same time.
Soak them in Water
After awakening, the nibs may still be hard and flinty. Soak them in a little hot water (just enough to cover them) for about 20 minutes which will soften them, the soaking liquid can be set aside as a flavoursome stock.
Storing your Nibs
Just like coffee, roasted nibs should be kept in an airtight container. If you are able to source ‘just roasted’ nibs or have made your own, you can freeze them in an airtight container until needed, retaining maximum flavour.
Queen of Puddings Recipe
A dessert fit for royalty using only the finest ingredients...
- preparation time: 2 mins
- cooking time: 24 mins
- ease of preparation: Intermediate
