The bavarois recipe
for your table
Soak the leaf gelatin in plenty of cold water. Bring the milk with the vanilla just to a boil, while whisking the egg yolk with the sugar until light and airy. Pour in the hot milk in a thin stream while continuing to whisk, otherwise the yolk will immediately set into lumps.
Return the mixture to low heat and stir until it thickens, between 82 and 84 degrees; the crème will then coat the back of a spoon. Above 85 degrees, the egg curdles and the crème becomes grainy. Remove the pan from the heat as soon as it thickens.
Squeeze out the gelatin and dissolve it in the warm crème, not the cold one: below about fifty degrees, leaf gelatin no longer opens properly and you’ll end up with strands in the dessert. Strain the crème, then let it cool until it starts to thicken.
Fold the softly whipped cream into the cooled crème in two batches, using a sweeping motion from bottom to top. In crème that is too warm, the air immediately collapses again. Pour the bavarois into the glass and leave it to set for at least four hours.
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The story
The name refers to Bavaria, while the dessert itself is generally attributed to French cuisine; exactly how the name came about cannot be said with certainty. What a bavarois is, however, can be clearly defined: a crème anglaise bound with gelatin and made light with whipped cream. Remove the gelatin and you are left with a sauce; remove the cream and it becomes a pudding. It is precisely this combination that makes it firm enough to slice yet light enough to spoon. Set in a glass, it does not even need that firmness.
The right glass
A bavarois that sets in a mould has to be turned out, and that is precisely the moment when it can tear or get a dent. If you let it set in the glass, that step disappears entirely. The glass then becomes part of the dish: you see the bavarois from the side, with the coulis mirror as a thin red line at the top. The ice glass below holds thirty-eight centilitres and has a thick base, and according to the description, the wide, clear glass shows the colour gradient from base to rim; that is exactly what you want to see with two layers. Alongside it is a wide, low footed dish holding eighteen centilitres, described as intended for dessert and the size in which a portion of mousse looks just right. In it, the layer becomes lower and the mirror correspondingly wider. A tall, narrow footed verrine glass is not part of our range, so these two come closest. More small sizes can be found among the amuse glasses.
Bormioli Rocco Rock Bar Ice Glass 38 cl (6 pieces)
La Rochere Coupelle 18 cl Alice (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 68,90.
The right tools
For a bavarois, in addition to the glass, you use a bar spoon with a long handle to keep stirring right to the bottom of the pan and a fine strainer to strain the cream before it cools. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 67,85.
What are you adding alongside?
A bavarois is sweet and creamy, so you want something fresh or something sweet to go with it. A glass of moscato complements the dessert, crémant and cava cut through it with bubbles, and a splash of limoncello or rum works with a fruit bavarois. On each drinks page, you can read the percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it pairs with, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
You make a fruit bavarois without crème anglaise: heat part of the fruit purée, dissolve the gelatin in it, stir in the cold remainder, and fold in whipped cream. This is quicker and less sensitive because there is no egg that can curdle. It works well with strawberry, raspberry, or mango. For a chocolate bavarois, melt dark chocolate into the warm cream and you can use slightly less gelatin, because the chocolate also helps it set. And instead of vanilla, you can infuse the milk with coffee, lemon zest, or cinnamon. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Pour the bavarois into the glass as soon as you have folded it, because it already starts to set in the bowl and will no longer level out. Only pour the coulis on top once the bavarois is firm; otherwise the red will sink through it. One spoonful is enough for a thin mirror. Take the glasses out of the refrigerator fifteen minutes before serving.
Good to know
Why must the cream not exceed 85 degrees?
Because the egg yolk then sets. A crème anglaise thickens through the egg, which happens between roughly 82 and 84 degrees: the cream becomes thicker and coats the back of a spoon. If you go above that, the egg forms lumps and the cream becomes grainy. Remove the pan from the heat as soon as the cream thickens and strain it to be safe.
Why do you dissolve the gelatin in the warm cream?
Sheet gelatin only opens up at around fifty degrees and will no longer dissolve in cold cream; you will then have strands or grains in the dessert that cannot be removed. First soak the sheets in plenty of cold water, squeeze them out, and stir them into the cream while it is still warm, immediately after removing the pan from the heat.
When do you fold in the whipped cream?
When the cream has cooled and just starts to thicken. In warm cream, the air escapes from the whipped cream and the dessert becomes heavy instead of light. If you wait too long, the cream will already have set and you won't be able to get it smooth again. Fold it in twice, using a circular motion from bottom to top.
How much gelatin do you need?
Allow about two grams per serving, which is roughly one leaf. Less gelatin gives a softer bavarois that just holds its shape in the glass, while more gelatin makes it firm enough to slice. Since you are letting it set in the glass here, it doesn't need to be firm enough to slice, so you can stay on the softer side.
How long does a bavarois need to set?
At least four hours in the refrigerator, and overnight is more reliable. Gelatin does not set all at once: the bavarois firms up during the first few hours and then becomes slightly firmer. Covered, it keeps for two days. Add the coulis and fresh fruit just before serving.
Frequently asked questions
Why has my crème anglaise curdled?
Because it has become too hot. The egg thickens at roughly 82 to 84 degrees; above 85 degrees it curdles and you get lumps. Keep the heat low, continue stirring along the bottom of the pan, and remove it as soon as the cream coats the back of a spoon. Straining removes the last pieces.
Do you dissolve gelatin in warm or cold cream?
Into the warm cream. Soaked and squeezed leaf gelatin melts from around fifty degrees; in cold cream, it remains in strands. So stir it in immediately after removing the pan from the heat, and only then let the mixture cool.
When do you fold in the whipped cream?
When the cream has cooled until it starts to thicken, and not before. In warm cream, the air escapes from the whipped cream and the bavarois becomes heavy. Fold it in twice, using a circular motion from bottom to top, so the air stays in the cream.
Does a bavarois need to be unmolded?
You don't have to. Let it set in a glass and you can skip unmolding it, eliminating the chance of it cracking or getting a dent. You also need less gelatin, because it doesn't have to be firm enough to slice. Pour the coulis over it as soon as the bavarois is firm.
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