BAKING

Memory Lane



Tarot Post Card c. 1910

Whenever Tim and I are in Paris, we always, always stroll down Rue St. Martin until we arrive at Benoit for a romantic dinner. We were there a year ago as of September 13 for my birthday and it was truly one of the most fantastic dinning experiences I’ve EVER had.

Before I continue on and describe the magnificence that was my birthday meal, I just want to temper my impending statement by saying that even the finest restaurants in the world can go too far with their culinary feats. With each course being so rich that your gallbladder quivers and quakes from all the rich fats that imbue, swirl and coalesce with your senses, you’ll wake up with what Tim and I call the “luxe food hangover.”

There is no doubt that the food you enjoyed was a work of edible art, but your body the next day will be begging for a colonic. To us, this means the food went too far; it was just too rich.

Benoit does not fall into this category. Every single course we enjoyed, from the sautéed wild mushrooms, to the saffron vanilla infused scallops to the chocolate soufflé, there was never a moment were Tim and I looked at each other with our “What’s your assessment of the food?” stare and exchanged a glimmer of disappointment. Au Contraire! Throughout the entire meal, we stared into each other’s eyes with so much love and lust, we found ourselves blushing, hoping no one else would notice. This is what exceptional food does: it transforms the person, the moment, the memory.

So in honor of my beloved birthday memory at Benoit, I happened to find the recipe for their famous Crème Caramel, which is breathtaking: it’s giant, it’s beautiful, it serves eight.

Bon appetite, mes amis!




BENOIT’S CRÈME CARAMEL

4 Cups whole milk
2 Vanilla beans, split or 3 Teaspoons vanilla extract
2 Cups sugar
3 Tablespoons water
1 Drop lemon juice ~1/4 teaspoon
8 Large eggs
4 Large egg yolks
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 300ºF.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, scald the milk with the vanilla beans and allow to sit for 30 minutes to infuse. If using vanilla extract, add after you have scalded the milk and proceed immediately.

In a separate pan, heat the sugar, lemon juice, and the water until a pale caramel color. Immediately pour the caramel into your 8-cup soufflé mold and quickly swirl to evenly coat the bottom.

Whisk eggs, egg yolks and salt until pale yellow.

Temper eggs by ladling the hot milk into the eggs, being sure to whisk to entire time. Strain your custard and then pour into your prepared baking dish.

Place your custard into a larger pan and then fill that pan with boiling water that comes halfway up the side of your custard mold.

Bake at 300ºF for 1 ½ -2 hours or until a very sharp knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely before refrigerating. Refrigerate overnight.

Serves 8



September 15th, 2007 — 1:43 pm

0 comments | add comment

0 comments

Write a Comment

Blackbird Bakery reserves the right to restrict comments that do not contribute constructively to the conversation at hand, contain profanity, personal attacks or seek to promote a personal or unrelated business.

 

ARCHIVES