Crème Onctueuse au Chocolat et aux Framboises

Every year near the end of July my Paris comes to me, meaning that Dessie (my sister) and Frederic leave their tiny apartment in Paris and come to stay for a month with us. Last year we made this cream for them and they loved it so much that this was the first thing they wanted for dessert this time. We made it last week and it was a real fun to watch them eating it – slowly and with a great delight. Their look was dreamy and full of pleasure as if they were flying in fluffy clouds.

A couple of days later Dessie asked me if it's hard to make this cream. I said that it's nothing more than Crème Anglaise with some chocolate added and of course the sweet-sour-fruity taste of the raspberry coulis. She started laughing at my assumption that she knows how to make crème anglaise. LOL.

We had to start our culinary lesson from the very basis and it was such a fun to cook with my sister. At the end she was so happy that she learned to make 3 new things – crème anglaise, crème onctueuse and raspberry coulis – and like she likes to add every time “according to the recipe of Pierre Hermé”. Besides the result was pretty good, as you can see from the photos – this is the cream Dessie made.

Bravo Dessie!

Crème Onctueuse au Chocolat et aux Framboises Recipe:
/Rich Chocolate Cream with Raspberries/
Adapted from Larousse du Chocolat by Pierre Hermé
Serves 4

• 3 egg yolks;
• 60 gr sugar;
• 125 ml milk;
• 125 ml heavy cream;
• 85 gr dark chocolate with minimum 70% cocoa solids.

Beat the egg yolks and the sugar until pale.

In a saucepan bring the milk and the cream up to a simmer. Pour a small amount of the hot liquid over the yolks-sugar mixture, while stirring, to temper. Then pour the rest of the liquid over the yolks. Stir well and pour back in the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat till the mixture reaches 85º C. (If making without a thermometer – the mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and bubble rudiments should begin to appear.)

Remove from the heat and add in the chocolate. Mix well.

For the Raspberry Coulis:

• 200 gr Raspberries;
• 15 gr confectioner's sugar.

Mix the raspberries and the sugar pressing hard with the back of a spoon. Pass through a sieve by pressing with the spoon to obtain the juice. Only the seeds should remain in the sieve. Discard the seeds (or you can use them for flavouring a vinegar or as a bath scrub, which is very beneficial for the skin).

To assemble: Divide the cream among 4 glasses and cover with the raspberry coulis. Put in the fridge for at least an hour.