If you’ve run out of ideas for getting your kids to eat more fruit, here’s the recipe for you: beautiful and colorful fruit butterflies over a bed of crème anglaise! Find this and many more recipes with pictures on the Giallozafferano App (in English) http://itunes.apple.com/app/giallozafferano-recipes/id384387249?mt=8
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Start with the crème anglaise, a delicate dessert cream that will serve as a bed for the butterflies. You need a double boiler, that is, a bowl set over a pot of simmering water: make sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the hot water. Pour in the fresh whole milk, then add a vanilla pod and its seeds, that have been scraped out by splitting the pod open; add the zest of half a lemon as well, organic is better, be careful not to remove any of the white pith, as that adds a bitter taste. While the milk mixture is steeping, separate the yolks from the whites of 5 eggs, we’ll use only the egg yolks. Don’t waste the egg whites, though, you can use them to make meringues as well as a delicious egg white omelette. Add the sugar and stir. Before adding the egg yolk and sugar mixture, remove the vanilla pod and the lemon zest from the milk that should be flavoured by now. Keep the heat low, stir constantly, and bring the mixture to 185°F (85°C), no more or the eggs will curdle. When it reaches a temperature of 180°-181°F (82°-83°C), remove the bowl from the double boiler and place it over a bowl of ice, and stir until cooled.
So, when it reaches the right temperature, remove the thermometer, turn off the heat, place the bowl in the ice bath… and keep stirring until the mixture cools down. Now peel and cut all the fruit for the butterflies: start with the kiwi, cut into thin slices, about 1/10 inch (2 mm) is enough. Do the same with the strawberries, and cut into slices. Now peel the orange: cut the pith off with a knife, work over a bowl to collect the juice; after that, slice between the membranes to release the orange segments. Now squeeze out any remaining juice and throw away the membranes. Finally, cut the almonds into strips to use for the butterfly antennae. The fruit is ready, move on to the Chantilly cream.
For the Chantilly cream, pour the heavy cream, cold from the fridge, into a bowl, add the sifted powdered sugar, my usual trick to avoid getting dirty, and beat. Transfer the Chantilly cream to a pastry bag and we are ready for assembly. First spoon a bed of crème anglaise on each dessert plate, then create the butterfly: start with the wings, then use the Chantilly cream for the body, add the blueberries and the antennae. Whipped cream as a finishing touch, topped with a pinch of chopped pistachios for a bit of colour and move on to the second butterfly. In the meantime, let’s see together the ingredients needed for this recipe!
Ingredients
For the crème anglaise
– 1 ½ cups (350 ml) of fresh milk
– 1 vanilla pod
– the zest of 1 lemon
– ⅓ cup (85 g) of egg yolks
– ½ cup (85 g) of sugar
– 1 pinch of salt
For the Chantilly cream
– 1 cup (250 ml) of heavy cream
– 1 tbsp of powdered sugar
For the fruit
– 2 kiwis
– 1 orange
– 24 blueberries
– almond strips
– 2 strawberries