This is a delicious dessert and I have substituted most of the cream with yoghurt and hung yoghurt making it relatively light. To prepare 300 millilitres of hung yoghurt, spoon 600 millilitres of plain unsweetened yoghurt onto a muslin cloth. I tie mine overnight to the kitchen faucet and you have thick hung yoghurt by the time you wake in the morning.
The roasted nectarine recipe is adapted from Peter Gordon’s book “A World in My Kitchen”.
BAVAROIS
50ml cream
10g gelatine mixed with a few spoons of tap water
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g castor sugar
300ml hung yoghurt (see notes below)
500ml natural unsweetened yoghurt
100ml cream, whipped
Pink pepper corns (optional)
METHOD
Have ready 6 small moulds and sprinkle some pink pepper corns if using on the bottom (you can use dariole moulds or even short stubby glasses). Bring the 50ml cream, vanilla and castor sugar to the boil. Remove from the heat and add the gelatine, stirring until dissolved, and then leave to go cold.
Whisk in the hung yoghurt and yoghurt, followed by the whipped cream. Pour into the moulds and leave to set in the fridge for at least 6 hours.
ROASTED NECTARINES
3 large, ripe nectarines
100g butter
¾ cup shelled, unsalted pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
75ml light honey
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Halve nectarines and remove the stones. Using a teaspoon, scoop out little of the flesh to allow for more stuffing.
Lightly grease a small baking tray with a teaspoon of butter and place fruit halves, cut side up.
Bring the nuts, honey, butter and lemon zest to the boil in a small saucepan, stirring slowly. Boil a few minutes until the mixture starts to caramelise, then spoon into the fruit cavities.
Bake 20 minutes until nuts start to go a golden brown. Rest for 10-15 minutes and serve with bavarois.
To Serve
Unmould bavarois by immersing mould in hot water for a count of 10. Slide a knife around the edge and unmould onto serving plate. Place a nectarine half and serve. Serves 6.