Molded Vanilla Cream with Berry Compote

Molded Vanilla Cream with Berry Compote

We found this lovely recipe thanks to our colleague Anne Bramley at Eat Feed, one of our Culinary Podcast Network shows. In her episode entitled The Secret Life of Gelatin, she highlighted some of her favorite gelatin-based “culinary heresies,” including this beautifully simple dessert that goes beyond “plain vanilla” – and might just change the way you think about gelatin molds.

4-6 servings

Ingredients

For the molded vanilla cream:
¼ cup plus additional ¼ cup whole milk
1 package unflavored gelatin powder (¼ ounce)
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces plain whole milk yogurt

For the berry compote:
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 cups sliced strawberries
¾ cup fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
¼ cup port wine

Equipment

Fine mesh sieve
Medium saucepan
Mixing bowls
4-5 cup gelatin mold

Preparation

Prepare the molded vanilla cream:
Pour ¼ cup milk into a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over milk and set aside to soften for 5 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, combine second ¼ cup milk and cream, sugar, and vanilla. Stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and liquids are almost at a simmer. Do not boil. Remove from heat. Add softened gelatin and whisk until smooth. Add yogurt and whisk until smooth. Pour into a gelatin mold (4-5 cups in capacity) and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Prepare the berry compote:
In a small saucepan, bring ½ cup water to boil over medium heat. Stir in ¼ cup sugar until dissolved. Add 1 cup strawberries and ¼ cup raspberries. Cook until fruit is completely softened, about 5-7 minutes. Process until smooth in a food processor. Strain through a sieve lined with a layer of cheesecloth to remove seeds. Set berry purée aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine ¼ cup port with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 1 minute until port is slightly reduced. Reduce heat to low. Add berry purée and heat through. Remove from heat and add remaining strawberries and raspberries along with blueberries. Cool to room temperature before serving with vanilla cream.

Service
To serve, dip mold into a bowl of warm water for a few seconds to loosen and invert onto a serving plate. Spoon berry compote around border of serving platter or pass separately.

Copyright © 2006 Eat Feed and Anne Bramley; reprinted with permission. Edited by Mark Tafoya. All rights reserved.

www.eatfeed.com