Bayerisch Crème is a dish with royal origins. It was made very famous when Queen Isabel of France brought the recipe with her to her homeland, i.e. Bavaria in Germany. It is also known as Bayerische Vanilla crème, due to its close resemblance to Vanilla Pudding.
A dessert that appears rich yet subtle and melts once it is in your mouth, Bayerisch Crème has come a long way from being the luxury dish of the Royals to one of the most cooked dishes in every household in Germany.
The Composition
The German dessert is believed to have a French connection. In 1385, Charles VI, the King of France married Isabel, the daughter of Duke Stephan’s II of Bavaria. When she returned to Bavaria for a visit to her family, she brought with her the recipe for rich dessert filled with custard cream and vanilla. The recipe became an instant hit with the locals as well as the royals of Bavaria, and to this day, it remains to be one of the most loved desserts of Germany.
Bayerisch Crème looks like a simple vanilla pudding. It, in fact, even tastes like a simple pudding. But it is soft for the taste buds and a little layer of garnishing will make it look all the more appealing. The best part about Bayerisch crème is that you can give it your twist to make it all the more delicious.
You can enjoy the vanilla cream just as it is, or you can garnish it with fruits, chocolates, liqueurs or schnapps. If you can think out- of – the- box and come up with different ways to present it to your guests, they will savour the dish even more.
The preparation of the pudding will require a bit of your effort and concentration for the next 90 minutes. But fret not; the end product will be worth it.
Recipe
The following recipe will serve 4 to 6 people and will take approximately 90 minutes to prepare it completely.
Ingredients
- Gelatine: 8 leaves
OR
- Powdered gelatine: 2 envelopes
- 1 Vanilla bean
- 6 Egg yolks
- Fluid Milk: 16 ounces/ ½ litres/ 1 U.S. pint
- Fluid heavy cream: 16 ounces/ ½ litres/ 1 U.S. pint
- Granulated sugar: 125 grammes/ ½ cup
For Garnishing
- Cocoa
- Fresh fruit
- Pureed fruit
- Fruit liqueur
- Schnapps
- Whipped cream
The Preparation
The first step is to ensure that you have enough gelatine before you start. It should be sufficient enough to set in half of the total liquid.
In case you are using leaf gelatine, cut it into slices and put it into a bowl filled to its quarter with water to soften it up. If you are using powdered gelatine, you will know what to do with it later on in this recipe.
The next step is to cut the vanilla bean in half and take out all the seeds. Put the rest of the bean in a jar with sugar in it to make vanilla sugar. Now, take the seeds and add them to the milk. Blend it together. Simmer on low to medium heat for 10 minutes. Make sure that you do not scald or boil it.
Now, take the egg yolks and sugar. Beat them together until the appearance becomes light and fluffy. Next, add hot milk and vanilla mixture to it, and beat it steadily.
Pour the mixture in a heavy- bottomed saucepan. Heat it over medium flame and beat it regularly until it thickens. Do not let this mixture boil. Otherwise, it will turn into a grainy pudding.
If you are using leaf gelatine, take it out from the bowl and add it to the custard mixture. Whisk it together until it dissolves completely.
In case you are using powdered gelatine, dissolve it first in a bowl of hot water and then proceed to add it to the custard mixture. Do not forget to whisk it well.
After adding gelatine to the custard, pour the custard into a bowl. Keep whisking the custard in the bowl until it cools down. Once that is accomplished, put the custard mixture in the refrigerator. Keep whisking it at the intervals of 5-10 minutes until it is thick enough.
Let it rest for 30 minutes. Then, beat the cream until it becomes stiff. Give the custard mixture one last beating. Fold it in whipped cream until it is evenly combined.
You can go whenever you want with your dessert after this step. The next formal step for Bayerische crème is to set the mixture in an oiled mould. But, if that is not your plan, you can just pour vanilla crème into a bowl and let it chill until it is set. Make sure you chill it for at least 3 hours ideally before taking it out and serving it.
For the serving part, you can spoon the crème from a bowl into plates or bowls and sprinkle either some cocoa on it or you can garnish it with fruits (fresh or pureed) or a fruit liqueur. Another creative way of serving the dessert is to make three or four parts: Leave one part plain, sprinkle cocoa onto the other one, layer the third part with fresh or pureed fruit and the fourth one with fruit liqueur. Pour or spoon the crème into the utensil of your choice (it can be a plate, a bowl or a parfait glass), and top it up with some whipped cream.
Bayerische crème is a rich dessert that has a different look to it, and it melts effortlessly on your tongue. If you follow the instructions mentioned above with attention, you will have a dessert on your plate that will make your evening a little more memorable. Plus, your taste buds will thank you for it.