Latte brulé with orange caramel sauce, sea salt and mint foam

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Latte brulé, a firm milk custard drenched in glossy caramel, is an Italian variation on crème caramel and has come to be synonymous with the region of Emilia-Romagna. In this stunning Italian dessert recipe Igles Corelli infuses the caramel with orange and adds an extra dose of citrus with an orange custard sauce.

First published in 2016

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Latte brulé

  • 500ml of whole milk
  • 100g of caster sugar
  • 1/2 vanilla pod
  • 1 egg
  • 3 egg yolks

Orange caramel

Orange custard

Sea salt and mint foam

  • 500ml of water
  • 2 tbsp of sea salt flakes
  • 5 mint leaves
  • 2g of soya lecithin

Equipment

  • 8 ramekins
  • Thermometer
  • Blender
  • Hand blender

Method

1
For the latte brulé, pour the milk into a pan and add the sugar. Split the vanilla pod half lengthways and scrape the seeds, adding these to the pan with the sugar and milk
  • 500ml of whole milk
  • 100g of caster sugar
  • 1/2 vanilla pod
2
Stir together over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and leave to cool
3
Whisk the egg and egg yolks together in a large bowl and gradually add the milk, stirring until thoroughly combined. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge overnight
4
For the orange caramel, melt the sugar and orange juice together in a small pan placed over a low heat. Allow the mixture to caramelise without stirring, then pour it into the ramekins or moulds and leave to cool at room temperature for 1 hour
5
Preheat the oven to 120°C/gas mark 1/2
6
Pass the chilled latte brulé mixture through a fine sieve and pour over the caramel to fill the moulds to three-quarters full. Arrange the moulds in a deep baking tray and pour hot water into the tray to create a bain marie
7
Carefully transfer the tray to the preheated oven and cook for 1 hour, until the edges are firm with a slight wobble remaining in the centre. Remove the moulds from the water and leave to cool a little, then place in the fridge to set for 4 hours
8
Meanwhile, make the orange custard. Pour the milk into a pan and scrape in the seeds from the vanilla pod, along with the orange zest and juice. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring occasionally to ensure the mixture doesn't catch
9
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and flour together in a bowl, then gradually pour in the hot milk a little at a time, mixing continuously until smooth and combined
10
Pour the mixture back into the pan and simmer over a low heat until it reaches 90°C. Pass the liquid through a fine sieve and transfer to a blender. Blitz until smooth, then cool quickly over a bowl of iced water. Transfer to a piping bag and set aside until ready to serve
11
For the sea salt and mint foam, pour the water into a pan and add the salt. Whisk continuously over a gentle heat until the salt has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the mint leaves and soya lecithin powder, then cover and leave to cool
  • 500ml of water
  • 2 tbsp of sea salt flakes
  • 2g of soya lecithin
  • 5 mint leaves
12
When ready to serve, pour the cooled salt and mint water into a large bowl or container and partially immerse a hand blender in the water at a 35 degree angle. Blend, increasing the speed gradually until you have enough foam to top each brulé
13
To serve, carefully remove the latte brulés from their moulds and place in the centre of each plate, caramel side up. Decorate the plates with the orange custard and finish with a spoonful of foam. Serve immediately
First published in 2016

Being at the forefront of the Italian nouvelle cuisine movement when he was younger helped form Igles Corelli's playful, creative cooking style.

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