Brie de Meaux Custard

Eric Snaith

Eric Snaith

3rd September 2013
Eric Snaith

Brie de Meaux Custard

Brie de Meaux Custard, Red Grape, Celery.This has become a bit of a signature dish, depending on how you define signature dish, but it has certainly been in and around the menu for the past few years. Out of 10 people, usually 6 love it and see it as the best dish of the night, 3 like it and find it interesting and 1 doesn't know what to think! Whatever their opinion, it does always seem to get people talking.from Eric Snaith

Ingredients

  • For the custard;
  • 70g Egg yolks
  • 300g Double cream
  • 15g Sugar
  • 100g Brie de Meaux (or similar)
  • 1g Salt
  • For the pickled grapes;
  • ½ Bunch of red grapes
  • 200g red wine
  • 50g Red wine vinegar
  • Juice of ½ a lemon
  • 1 Star anise
  • 1 Sprig of tarragon
  • 50g Sugar
  • 2g Salt
  • 25ml Pernod
  • For the Celery;
  • 2 Sticks of Celery
  • Leaves from the Celery
  • Micro celery leaves
  • For the red grape pate de fruits;
  • 500g Red grape purée
  • 14g Pectin
  • 14g Citric acid
  • 620g Sugar

Method

For the custard, place all of the ingredients in a thermomix and cook for 10mins, 90?c on speed 3 (the eggs should be cooked as for a crème Brulee). If a Thermomix is not available cook as you would for custard in a heavy saucepan over a low heat. When cooked, pass through a fine mesh sieve and set in the fridge on small plates or small bowls.
For the semi-dry pickled grapes, remove grapes from stems, holding a few back for final presentation. Combine all other ingredients and bring to the boil, pour over grapes and allow it to marinade in the fridge for 12hours. Drain and dry the grapes in dehydrator for 8 hours at 80?c.
For the red grape pate de fruits, mix the pectin with 20g of sugar, warm the grape purée in a large sauce pan, add the pectin mix while whisking to incorporate, add the remaining sugar and cook to 108?c, take off the heat and add the citric acid, working quickly pour into a parchment lined deep baking tray. Set in the fridge
For the celery, pick down the leaves and keep in water, cut celery into small batons.
To serve the dish, caramelise the custard with sugar and a blow torch, as if making a crème Brulee. Place 2 small cubes of pate de fruits, 2 celery batons, 2 leaves and a sprig of micro celery on top and finish with 2 slices of fresh grape.

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