Sauces, Sweet

Raspberry Coulis

Raspberry Coulis or Raspberry Sauce is a very important item in the pastry kitchen. It is used for so many desserts. It is a mise-en-place item in the pastry kitchen (everything in its place). You definitely do not want to run out of this delicious sauce during a busy lunch or dinner hour rush.

I will always remember shopping at my local grocery store one day and there was a lady in a panic trying to get several clerks to help her find raspberry coulis for a special dessert that evening. If you have done the same thing, you know it is not something you will find readily in the store. Alas, raspberry coulis is surprisingly easy to make with just a few ingredients. In this post, I will show you how to make raspberry coulis by first making a raspberry puree.

Milk chocolate Torte with Almond Praline Crust and Raspberry Coulis

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Blackberry Lime Curd

By Denise Pare-Watson

Did you know that you can make curd out of virtually any juice or purée? In this post, I will explain how to do just that by explaining how to make a Blackberry Lime Curd. A curd is essentially a stirred custard, similar to crème anglaise or pastry cream. Most folks have heard about lemon curd. I do love a well-prepared lemon curd. It is the perfect balance of sweet, sour and tangy. You can use it in so many ways: as a cake filling; in a crème brûlée recipe; in lemon curd ice cream; on top of plain Greek yogurt for a refreshing dessert – the list goes on.

Blackberry Lime Curd in Crispy Meringue Nests

That said, I want to encourage you to try to make a curd using a fruit juice or fruit puree. In the past, I have made crimson coloured raspberry curd, fresh looking orange curd, and even a coral coloured rhubarb curd. Try making a new variation, too, thinking outside of the realm of luscious lemon curd for a change. I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

White Chocolate Lemon Curd Tart

In this post, I am going to explain how to make blackberry puree, and then, using the prepared puree, I will illustrate through my recipe how to make a luscious blackberry lime curd. It is a gorgeous sauce, not only in its rich burgundy colour but also its flavour.

I lived for many years on Vancouver Island, British Columbia where blackberries were plentiful, so it was wonderful to make good use of this bounty from our berry picking adventures. We always had a lovely feast of the freshly picked berries in our usual style of serving them simply with a light sprinkle of sugar, lime zest and vanilla bean paste. I typically use the remainder of the berry pickings for puree, jams and compotes.

Blackberry Lime Curd served with Langues de Chat cookies

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Creme Anglaise

By Denise Pare-Watson

The Confident Kitchen Series

What do you think of when you hear the term English pouring custard, vanilla sauce, pouring sauce, custard sauce or Crème Anglaise? Do you know the difference? Well, guess what? They are all the same thing, which is in fact – a stirred custard. I am going to share with you how to make this delicious sauce – a term that will be referred to as Creme Anglaise for the purposes of this post.

You may have seen the post on Urbnspice Ultimate Apple Crisp. To accompany crisps and cobblers or any warm desserts, creme anglaise is an excellent choice. I will explain the term, describe how to make it with tips and techniques to become confident making it on your own.

Apple Crisp and Star Apple Creme Anglaise

Here is a simple recipe for crème anglaise that you can make.

CREME ANGLAISE

CHEF TALK: This is one of the best sauce recipes that you can learn how to make. I provide tons of tips and ideas on changing the flavour of the creme anglaise.

YIELD: Approximately 1 1/2 cups sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup /250 ml milk(substitute almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk or even light cream)
2 1/2 oz. (approx. 70 grams) granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 vanilla bean pod, split or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

METHOD:

Bring the milk just to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan.
In a small bowl, mix the sugar and yolks together (wait to do this until the milk comes to a boil).
Temper the milk to the egg yolk mixture by pouring the milk slowly into the sugar/yolk mixture, whisking the entire time until all the milk is used.
Add the mixture back to the heat to thicken (just until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.)
Strain the mixture.
Place the crème anglaise over an ice bath to chill
Refrigerate, covered until ready to use.
Serve over warm apple crisp, or any other type of dessert requiring a sauce.

Other Posts You Might Enjoy:

Urbnspice Ultimate Apple Crisp

White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes

NOTES: In the LEARNING TIPS of my cookbook series, “Chocolate Desserts Made Easy and Delicious”, I go into great detail about different methods of making crème anglaise with many tips and techniques that will make you confident in making it on your own. I will share with you a few of those tips:

CREME ANGLAISE TIPS & TECHNIQUES:

CHEF TIP: Many of you will have shied away from making this sauce because of its precise temperature and tempering process that typically results in many pots of scrambled egg sauce. As a culinary student, the traditional method caused many of us angst as we hovered over our sauces. Following, are two no-fret techniques for mastering a perfect crème anglaise. It was an Aha! moment for me when I learned these methods!

METHOD:

Technique # 1: Prepare a bain-marie with a medium saucepan. In a medium bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar together and place the bowl over the bain-marie, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar while warming the mixture. Meanwhile, heat the milk to boiling. Pour the hot milk over the warmed egg yolk/sugar mixture and stir until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. This will happen quickly.
Technique # 2: To eliminate any guesswork, use a digital thermometer and heat (while stirring) until the sauce reaches a temperature of 182°F (83°C).
Strain the mixture and add the vanilla extract or other flavourings, if desired.
Chill the sauce quickly in an ice bath. Cover the sauce directly with a layer of plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. When cooled, transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until required. It will keep for up to three days.

WHAT ELSE CAN I DO WITH THIS SAUCE RECIPE?

CHEF TALK: Crème Anglaise is like a blank canvas: Experiment with some of these flavouring suggestions:

Spices: Add a pinch of ground cinnamon or nutmeg to taste. Experiment with others, should you wish.
Extracts: Add almond, rum, maple, lemon, orange, etc. Start with a ½ teaspoon. Add more to taste.
Mint Crème Anglaise: Add 1 cup of fresh, chopped mint leaves to the milk as you are bringing it to the boil. Continue with the recipe. You may steep the mixture if desired to achieve full flavour and colour. Strain as per directions. This softly shaded sauce is spectacular on top of fresh sliced strawberries.
Lemon-Vanilla Sauce: Add 1 teaspoon lemon zest to the saucepan while warming the milk to allow zest to steep.
Chocolate-Cinnamon Crème Anglaise: For every 375 ml of Creme anglaise, add 1 oz. bittersweet chocolate and 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon. Serve with Gingerbread Cake.

LEARNING TIPS:

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

Bain Marie
Tempering Egg Mixtures
Flavourings
Ice Baths
Vanilla Extract
__________

As always, if you give this recipe for Creme Anglaise or its variations a try, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

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SABAYON

By Denise Pare-Watson

Sabayon is an elegant French dessert that anyone can make. It is easy to do and it only requires a few ingredients: egg yolks, fine sugar and typically, a wine like Sweet Marsala, Madeira, Icewine or Port. recently, I taught a class at a specialty vinegar and spice store and made Quince Balsamic Vanilla Bean Sabayon with Seasonal Fruit and Berries for the class using one of their exquisite line of balsamic vinegars.

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