Crème Chiboust

Before starting this Crème Chiboust recipe, make sure you have organised the ingredients to make crème pâtissière.

Cut the vanilla pod lengthwise...

... and place in a saucepan, together with the milk. Bring to a boil.

In a mixing bowl, tip the whole eggs and egg yolks.

Add the castor sugar and combine with a whisk.

Blanch the ingredients...

... beating vigorously with a whisk. The preparation should be pale and fluffy.

Add the sifted flour (or crème pâtissière powder).

Combine well.

When the milk starts boiling...

... pour on top of the blanched eggs.

Combine well.

Transfer the preparation into the saucepan used to boil the milk...

... and cook over medium heat for 4 or 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Make sure that the cream does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

The crème pâtissière is ready when it has a thick consistency. Set aside. The following steps must be done while the crème pâtissière is still hot.

For the Chiboust: Organise the necessary ingredients to make the meringue and gelatine.

Steep the gelatine sheets in cold water for a few minutes.

Squeeze them to drain, extracting as much water as possible...

... and add to the hot crème pâtissière.

Combine with a whisk until the gelatine is completely dissolved. The gelatine will melt instantly in the hot pastry cream. Let cool at room temperature.

Tip the sugar in a saucepan.

Add a little water (about 5cl), or just enough to humidify the sugar. I actually used the water that was left over from soaking the gelatine.

Cook the sugar until the temperature reaches 121°C. For this step, the use of a digital or laser thermometer is recommended. It is important that you measure the temperature accurately.

While the sugar is cooking, place the egg whites (they should at room temperature) in the stand mixer recipient. Add a pinch of salt.

Start beating the egg whites...

... until stiff peaks form.

Pour the cooked sugar over the beaten egg whites, pouring it against the inner side of the bowl to incorporate it gradually to the meringue. The cooked sugar should not come into direct contact with the whisk.

Pour the crème pâtissière (it should be at room temperature) into a clean recipient.

If you wish to flavour the cream, you should do it now. Add some vanilla extract, coffee extract (Trablit), chocolate (powder or chips) or alcohol, for instance. The amount of flavouring varies according to the desired flavour intensity. You need to taste the preparation to adjust the amount.

Combine well with a whisk.

Add 1/4 of the Italian meringue to the crème pâtissière...

... and whisk vigorously to soften the cream.

The preparation should be homogeneous.

Pour the preparation over the rest of the meringue...

... and fold gently, using a rubber spatula. Finish by whisking the preparation 2 or 3 times to obtain a homogeneous consistency. The crème chiboust is now ready to be used as a filling (spread or piped). Before serving, the cake will need to be stored in the fridge for the cream to set.