Chocolate Croissant Pudding

  

         Last year a few contestants of Masterchef Australia were lucky enough to come to Paris to spend a day in the culinary capital of the world. First they had to shop at the local market loaded with fresh and beautiful produce and then they had to cook some French-inspired dishes on the bank of the river Seine. Fantastic, isn’t it? Callum – a young boy who, by the way, eventually made it to the finals of the competition but, alas, got only the second place – was among the winners that day. Being good at pastry in general, he made a fabulous dessert using a classic French croissant. Even though he combined it with the English classic – pudding, – his efforts were highly praised by a chef from Le Cordon Bleu who was a guest judge for the show. I was eager to try the recipe but I couldn’t find a good croissant in Kolkata. So, when Bauli appeared at the local shops, my enthusiasm got over the roof. I should confess that even back in Moscow I used to indulge in them (in general, I’m more “gateaux” and “ice-cream” rather than “biscuit” and “croissant” type of a sweet tooth but whenever I saw those lavender-coloured wrappers with Italian treats I knew that the only way to overcome the temptation was to yield to it). So, I finally got my croissants here and even managed not to eat them straight away but to save for the puddings. And when they came out of the oven, I could only wish I were in Paris so that I could enjoy them, overlooking the Eiffel Tower. 

Recipe adapted from "Callum's Chocolate Croissant Pudding"  (masterchef.com.au)

Ingredients

20g butter

4 chocolate croissants

Custard mixture

1 egg

2 egg yolks

40 gm caster sugar

200 ml thickened cream

1 tbsp flour

Crème Patisserie

2 eggs

50 gm sugar

10 gm butter, softened

20 gm cornflour

250 ml milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

Chocolate sauce

150 ml thickened cream

80g dark chocolate

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160C. Melt the butter and cool it slightly. Using a pastry brush, line 4 ceramic moulds with baking paper and grease with butter.
2. For the custard mixture, place egg, egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl and beat until thick and creamy. Pour in cream, add flour and whisk until mixed well.
3. Cut croissants into thin slices, add to custard mixture and stir with a wooden spoon. Put croissant pieces into moulds. Evenly divide remaining egg mixture between moulds, ensuring not to overfill them. Place puddings on a baking tray and bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until the custard is set and firm to touch.
4. For crème patisserie, beat eggs with sugar and butter until thick and creamy, add cornflour and mix well. Heat milk and vanilla until just about to boil and add to the egg mixture, whisking. Pour the mixture into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, for a few minutes or until thick enough. Place in a bowl and cover with a clingfilm until ready to use.
5. For the chocolate sauce, fill a saucepan with some water; place it on the heat until just simmering. Place a medium bowl over the saucepan (the base of the bowl should not touch the water). Add cream and chocolate to the bowl. Gently stir until chocolate melts and the mixture becomes thick and glossy. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
6. To serve, pour the chocolate sauce onto the plate. Carefully remove a pudding from a mould and place it onto the sauce. Top with crème patisserie.

Notes:

 

1. I had to change the proportion of eggs and cream and add flour to the custard mixture because Callum struggled a bit with his puddings as they didn’t want to set for a while. But make sure not to put too much flour or the mixture will turn out too dense.
2. Callum served his pudding with chocolate sauce, clotted cream and berries. You can try any variations – once I used crème patisserie and strawberry puree which was very refreshing!