A sweet, light, airy, and melt in your mouth creamy filling! Chiboust cream is a custard-based recipe that is also known as St. Honoré cream since it's used to make the classic dessert - St Honore gateau!INTERMEDIATE - This recipe requires some knowledge about making meringue and custard. Beginners can certainly make this recipe easily, but I highly recommend that you read the entire post for the detailed tips on how to perfect this recipe. Makes approximately 675 g or 3 ⅓ cups of creme chiboust. US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results.
4egg yolksfrom large eggs (save the egg whites from these eggs for the meringue)
25gcornstarch 2 ½ tbsp
1.5tspvanilla extract
30gbutter2 tbsp
1 ½tsppowdered gelatin3.5 g or 2 sheets of gold gelatin
2tbspwater
Italian meringue
4egg whitesat room temperature (make sure that there is absolutely no egg yolks or any other fatty residue that could mix with the egg whites)
150gwhite sugar¾ cup
80gwater⅓ cup
Instructions
Blooming the gelatin
If you’re using powdered gelatin, place the water (regular tap water, not warm) in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin powder over it, and gently stir it to hydrate the gelatin. Set aside to let it bloom for at least 10 minutes, and until the custard is cooked.
1 ½ tsp powdered gelatin, 2 tbsp water
If you’re using sheet gelatin, place some cold tap water in a big bowl or dish that is big enough to fit the gelatin sheets. You can cut them in half if needed.
Completely submerge the gelatin sheets in the water. It's OK if the sheets stick to each other.
When the gelatin sheets have bloomed, they should be very soft. You can keep them soaked in water until the custard is cooked. Before adding the gelatin sheets, you must take them out of the water and squeeze them in your hands to remove the excess water before adding them to the custard.
Making the pastry cream base
In a small saucepan, place the milk and salt and heat until the milk is steaming, and it's just about to simmer. The milk does not need to come to a boil to make custard with it.
240 mL full-fat milk, ¼ tsp sea salt
While the milk is heating, in a separate bowl, place the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch. Whisk very well until the egg yolks start to look a little pale and thick, and there are absolutely no lumps in the mixture.
25 g sugar, 4 egg yolks, 25 g cornstarch, 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
Temper the egg mixture by pouring the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture in a SLOW and THIN stream while constantly whisking the egg yolk mixture. This will ensure that the egg mixture warms up gently without turning into scrambled eggs. You would only need to add about ½ - ¾ of the milk mixture to achieve this.
Once the egg mixture is tempered, add the tempered egg mix back into the pot with the rest of the milk, and return it back to the stove.
Heat the custard base over medium low heat while whisking very frequently. Make sure to use the whisk to get all the corners and edges of the pot to ensure that the milk is not “setting” anywhere and forming scrambled eggs.
The custard will start to thicken, but keep whisking until the custard starts to come to a boil. To check if the custard is boiling, you will need to pause whisking for a few seconds at a time to check if there are any bubbles breaking the surface.
After the first bubbles break the surface, keep cooking the custard while constantly whisking for a further 1 - 2 minutes.
When the custard has finished cooking, remove it from the heat and pass it through a sieve into a large bowl.
Add the butter and bloomed gelatin and whisk until the butter and gelatin have dissolved and mixed in completely with the custard.
30 g butter, 1 ½ tsp powdered gelatin, 2 tbsp water
Place a plastic wrap over the surface of the custard, and make sure that the plastic wrap is touching the whole surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming on top.
Allow the custard to cool down to room temperature. Do not keep it in the fridge, as the gelatin will set the custard. If that happens, you'll need to whisk the custard before adding the meringue, and the gelatin will not set as well as you would want it to afterwards.
When the custard is at room temperature (between 72 - 75°F), you can start to make the Italian meringue.
Making the Italian meringue
Place the egg whites in a dry, clean metal mixing bowl. Add a pinch of cream of tartar and salt. Keep the bowl in your stand mixer and set it aside until the syrup is ready.
4 egg whites
Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Using a spoon or spatula, move the sugar around to make sure the sugar is hydrated by the water.
150 g white sugar, 80 g water
Heat the sugar syrup over medium / medium high heat. Swirl the pan to dissolve the sugar as the water heats up.
When all the sugar has dissolved, close the pot with the lid, and let the mixture boil for about 1 - 2 minutes. This will allow water to wash down the sides of the pot to re-dissolve the sugar that may have crystallized. Alternatively, you can use a clean pastry brush dipped in cold water to brush the sides of the pot.
Keep cooking the sugar syrup until it reaches 235°F / 113°C. Make sure to swirl the pot from time to time to evenly heat the syrup.
When the sugar reaches 235°F / 113°C, you can start to mix the egg whites on low speed.
The sugar syrup is ready to use when it reaches 240°F / 115°C (firm ball stage). It's OK if it’s anywhere between 240 - 245°F (115 - 118°C).
At this point, the egg whites should be whisked to soft peaks.
Pour the sugar syrup into the egg white mixture in a thin, slow stream while whisking the eggs on medium speed. Make sure to pour the sugar syrup between the bowl and the whisk to prevent the sugar syrup from splattering everywhere.
Once all the sugar is added, increase the speed of the mixer to high and whisk the meringue until you have glossy, stiff peaks. This should only take a few minutes.
Making creme chiboust
Add about ⅓ of the meringue mix into the room temperature custard, and mix to loosen up the custard base.
Add the rest of the meringue and fold it in until there are no more white streaks in the custard. Be gentle when you fold in the meringue because if you mix it too vigorously, you will lose the air and it may deflate too much.
It's very important to use the creme chiboust while it’s at room temperature, since it will set in the fridge. If you do want to keep the creme chiboust in the fridge, you will need to whisk it again before using. However, keep in mind that this will deflate the mixture AND not set as well again, because the gelatin has been disrupted.
Notes
To check if the sugar syrup is at the correct stage without a candy thermometer, you can read my post on cooked sugar stages.Follow the water test method to determine the firm ball stage."The sugar at this stage will also form a ball in ice water. The ball will not flatten in your hand and will retain its shape. However, this ball is malleable and can be flattened with your fingertips easily."
Notes on storage and use
Creme chiboust must be used right away after you make it, especially if you want the cream to set with the gelatin. Therefore, it's not something I recommend you make in advance. However, you could use it as a filling or topping and then keep it in the fridge so that it can hold its shape once chilled. It'll last in the fridge for about 4 - 5 days, but it's best eaten within the first 2 - 3 days.