Coupe Andy - Apricot Granita, Chocolate, Custard & Cream

It's my husband's birthday today and I usually like to make him something different every year for dessert and as the 'out of the box' contest was still on-going, I thought I'd see what I could come up with.

All the ice cream desserts I make are usually based on an egg custard that I build up from scratch but this time of year the hens aren't laying as much so all the eggs usually get eaten at breakfast. Therefore, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try to create something from a dry custard mix or as it is called here in France; Crème Anglaise, which sounds a whole lot more fancy.

The following amount of ingredients makes one large dessert which I hope I'm going to get to share, or 4 - 5 elegant mini desserts for a party.

All the ingredients I use are organic.

¼ cup - 30g - 1oz packet of Crème Anglaise mix

1 cup - ¼ litre - approx ½ pint of raw milk

1 egg

2 heaped tablespoons of home-made apricot granita

1 heaped tablespoon of raw cream plus 2 dessert spoons of cream whipped with 1 teaspoon of sugar to make a Chantilly topping.

Chocolate truffles

Candles

For the granita:

(you can make this with all kinds of fruits)

This is really super easy to make, you just halve ripe, fresh apricots, remove the stones put the fruit in a heavy-bottomed pan on a low heat with a little sugar (so for example for 10 whole apricots I wouldn't use more than a dessert spoon of sugar and if they were very ripe I would use less). Cook them slowly with the lid in place, until they become very soft. Then you can either mash them by hand or use a blender and then leave to cool and place in the freezer.

Make these first as they have to cool

Ingredients

(makes 5-6)

½ tablespoon of cocoa

1 tablespoon of desiccated coconut

1 dessert spoon of coconut or blonde raw cane sugar

1 dessert spoon of raw butter

½ dessert spoon of raw coconut oil

extra cocoa for dusting

Method

Put all the ingredients into a bowl. Using a fork, mash the ingredients together until well mixed and leave aside to set.

If the ambient temperature is rather warm, prepare a freezer-proof tray by lining it with baking paper.

When the mixture has cooled, take a small walnut-sized amount of truffle mixture and mould it into a ball, by rolling it between the palms of the hands.

Repeat until you have made all the truffles.

Place somewhere cool or if necessary on a tray inside a freezer bag and put it in the freezer to set.

When they are ready dust them with cocoa powder and sprinkle with a little coconut sugar. I kept one of my 6 back and placed it at the bottom of my coupe

Place the custard mix in a bowl and use a little of the cold milk to make a paste

Heat the rest of the milk to just below boiling.

Pour it onto the custard paste whisking thoroughly.

Return to the pan.

Add the beaten egg and then heat gently stirring all the time with a wooden spoon until the custard coats the back of the spoon.

Put aside to cool

Find a decorative glass.

Place a layer of granita at the bottom, then a layer of custard and then a layer of cream, repeat until you have filled the glass, finishing with a cream layer. The last layer of cream should be the Chantilly, whipped thick and light enough to support the truffles.

Place the truffles around the top of the glass.

Sprinkle cocoa and coconut sugar over the Chantilly.

Light candles.

Sing 'Happy Birthday' Here's some elegant piano music I use to help as I'm a rotten singer:

https://freesound.org/people/CarlosCarty/sounds/449684/

If you just want this as a dessert then it looks really pretty in small champagne or cocktail glasses, with just a single truffle on the top.

You can still add a candle, just for fun!