This easy but classic French dessert is famous in Anjou, and is typically served with seasonal fruit and a fruit purée. If you ask locals for their recipe, each one is slightly different.
Some use fromage blanc with a little cream beaten in for richness, others fold in beaten egg whites for a light texture and some just use whipped cream with beaten egg whites folded in.
This version of Cremet d’Anjou is from Cathy Henton of le tasting room.
Get ready, mould, set!
Whichever formula you prefer, you will need some individual moulds to drain the mixture overnight.
Kathy uses Coeur â la Crème hearts that she lines with damp muslin, but you can use a colander and scoop out quenelles afterwards or even make your own using old yoghurt pots with a number of holes punched in the bottom to allow the liquid to drain overnight.
Note: Pork Belly used ordinary terracotta plant pots, but you can use anything with holes to allow the dessert to drain.
Experiment
This is a dessert you can experiment with. It can be an extremely low fat option using 0% fromage blanc and a fresh fruit purée, or can be more luxurious using higher fat cheese and double cream or even just double cream.
A perfect wine match would be a dessert wine from the heart of Anjou, a Coteaux du Layon from the Chenin Blanc grape. These wines are sweet and luscious but have lovely refreshing acidity, making them the perfect partner for fruit based desserts.
Bon appétit!
Cremet d’Anjou
Ingredients
- 350 g fromage blanc quark – choose any fat content you like
- 120 ml double cream not absolutely essential but makes it richer and more delicious
- Sugar optional
- Vanilla essence optional
- Seasonal fruit to serve
Instructions
- Beat the fromage blanc in a bowl until smooth and then stir in the cream, mixing until well incorporated.
- If you like you can add a little sugar at this point or a little vanilla essence.
- Line the moulds with damp muslin and then pour the mixture into the moulds.
- Place on a tray or tin and leave in the fridge overnight. During this time the liquid drains from the moulds and you can then turn them out onto a plate.
- Serve with seasonal fruit such as fresh raspberries, strawberries, apricots etc or make a purée with your fruit adding a little lemon juice and icing sugar to taste.
- For extra lightness you can beat a couple of egg whites to firmish peaks and gently fold into the mixture.
- Alternatively you can whip the cream first before adding to the fromage blanc.
We made our own version using 450g of soft goat’s cheese instead of fromage blanc and 120 mls of soya alternative to cream instead of double cream. The addition of 2 whisked egg whites made sure it set.
Other recipes you may like:
• Banana and coffee cake
• Coconut ice
• Coconut cookies