- 6 TBS raspberry preserves
- 2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
- 1/2 vanilla bean
- 6 egg yolks (You can freeze the whites for another time and use)
- the peel and juice of one lemon (reserve the juice)
- 1/2 cup (95g) caster sugar (fine granulated sugar)
- fresh berries
- icing sugar to dust
- Whisk the jam with a fork to loosen it. I love raspberry jam in these, but you can use any jam or conserve that you enjoy. Lemon curd is especially nice.
- Heavy cream is whipping cream or double cream in Europe.
- If you don't have a vanilla bean you can use pure vanilla extract (1 tsp) or vanilla paste (1/2 tsp)
- Freeze your egg whites individually in ice cube trays and then pop into a zip lock baggie ready to use at another time. Great for pavlovas or angel food cakes.
- If you don't have finely granulated sugar you can process regular granulated sugar in a food processor for about 30 seconds to make it.
- I grate the lemon zest using a fine micro-plane grater. Wash the lemon really well first to remove any pesticides and insect debris. Dry well before zesting.
- Pour the cream into a saucepan. Add the lemon peel. Scrape in any caviar from the vanilla bean and throw in the spent bean. Warm gently to a simmer, then let sit to infuse for 10 minutes. (Do not allow to boil.)
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Have ready 6 ramekins or small soufflé dishes, and a roasting tin large enough to place them in with a bit of space between. (Each ramekin should hold at least 1/2 cup/4 fluid ounces of liquid, and be heat proof.)
- Spoon 1 TBS of raspberry jam into the bottom of each ramekin. Place them into a large roasting tin. (You can use any flavor of jam you wish, even lemon curd, but raspberry jam is a favorite of mine.)
- Beat the egg yolks with an electric whisk until they are light and lemony colored. Whisk in the sugar, 1 TBS of the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. (I use an electric hand whisk/mixer.)
- Strain the cream into a clean bowl and then slowly whisk it into the egg/sugar mixture, taking care to temper it with a bit of the warm cream first so that you don't end up with scrambled eggs. (This is really important. The heat from the cream can scramble the eggs if you are not careful and your dessert will be ruined.) Make sure all are whisked well together. Boil the kettle.
- Pour the egg custard into a large measuring jug and then divide the custard between the prepared ramekins, carefully pouring it over top of the jam, taking as much care as possible not to mix the two together. (A measuring jug with a spout for pouring makes this step so much easier and less messy.)
- Pour boiling water into the roasting tin to come up halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the tin tightly with foil and then bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly set. (There should still be a slight wobble in the center of the custard in each ramekin.)
- Remove from the pan and let them sit for half an hour before placing them into the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- When ready to serve top each with a few raspberries and a light dusting of icing sugar. Enjoy!
- Read the recipe thoroughly several times before beginning to help familiarize you with any ingredients or equipment needed.
- Assemble everything you need before you begin. This can help to prevent you from forgetting anything and will help the prep/cooking process to go much smoother and more quickly.
- Measure everything accurately.
- Don't let the cream boil.
- Use a fine meshed sieve to strain out any solids from the custard.
- Do NOT skip the water bath. This is integral to the success of the recipe.
- Chill them for at least two hours so that they are properly chilled and set up.
Lemon Pots de Creme
Simple and yet so elegant. I like to serve them ice cold with a few berries scattered over top.
Ingredients
- 6 TBS raspberry preserves
- 2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
- 1/2 vanilla bean
- 6 egg yolks (You can freeze the whites for another time and use)
- the peel and juice of one lemon (reserve the juice)
- 1/2 cup (95g) caster sugar (fine granulated sugar)
- fresh berries
- icing sugar to dust
Instructions
- Pour the cream into a saucepan. Add the lemon peel. Scrape in any caviar from the vanilla bean and throw in the spent bean. Warm gently to a simmer, then let sit to infuse for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Have ready 6 ramekins or small soufflé dishes, and a roasting tin large enough to place them in with a bit of space between.
- Spoon 1 TBS of raspberry jam into the bottom of each ramekin. Place them into a large roasting tin.
- Beat the egg yolks with an electric whisk until they are light and lemony colored. Whisk in the sugar, 1 TBS of the lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
- Strain the cream into a clean bowl and then slowly whisk it into the egg/sugar mixture, taking care to temper it with a bit of the warm cream first so that you don't end up with scrambled eggs. Make sure all are whisked well together. Boil the kettle.
- Pour the egg custard into a large measuring jug and then divide the custard between the prepared ramekins, carefully pouring it over top of the jam, taking as much care as possible not to mix the two together.
- Pour boiling water into the roasting tin to come up halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the tin tightly with foil and then bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly set.
- Remove from the pan and let them sit for half an hour before placing them into the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- When ready to serve top each with a few raspberries and a light dusting of icing sugar. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe?
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- 1 (4 1/2 lb) free range chicken, organic if possible
- 2 small onions, cut in half and stuck with two cloves
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
- 3 stick of celery, halved (preferably with some leaves attached)
- 2 leeks, trimmed and well washed
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 springs of thyme
- salt
- 4 TBS (60g) butter
- 1/2 cup (60g) plain flour
- 1 3/4 cup (415ml) of the stock, reserved from poaching the chicken
- 1 1/8 cup (285ml) dry white wine
- 1 cup (240ml) double cream
- 2/3 cup (180g) gruyere cheese, grated
- 1 TBS Dijon mustard
- 2 ounces tarragon leaves, chopped (scant quarter cup)
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup (60g) of fresh white bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup (30g) of grated strong cheddar cheese
- 2 TBS of grated Parmesan cheese
- Use a good quality chicken. If you can't get a whole one, you can use chicken pieces in the same amount, or you can use the equivalent of already poached/cooked chicken and a good quality chicken stock.
- Wash your leeks really well to remove any sand. Lop off the dark green parts and discard. Slice down one side of the length and then run under cold running water to rinse of any sand or dirt.
- I use salted butter and plain all purpose flour.
- I give suggestions to use instead of white wine below.
- You can use whipping cream instead of double cream.
- Gruyere is a type of Swiss cheese with a rich, sweet, nutty flavor. You can also use Comte, or Emmenthaler.
- You can substitute dry tarragon for fresh, in roughly half the amount.
- You want your bread crumbs to be fresh and soft.
- To Poach the chicken: Put the chicken into a large pot along with cold water, barely enough to cover it. Add the vegetables and herbs and a good sprinkling of salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat immediately and poach very gently for around an hour and a half. (You don't want the liquid to be bubbling furiously. A small bubbling is sufficient.)
- Once cooked thoroughly and tender, lift the chicken very carefully out of the poaching liquid onto a plate and allow it to cool. Strain the poaching liquid through a fine sieve, and set aside to cool. (Straining helps to get rid of any solids and debris.)
- Once cooled, lift off any surface fat. I like to use paper kitchen toweling for this. I just keep sweeping it over the top and it lifts and absorbs all the grease. You could also put it into the fridge to chill and the fat would harden to the point where you can just lift it off quite easily. (This works perfectly if you poach your chicken the day before.)
- Remove all the meat from the chicken carcass, discarding any fat, bone or gristle. Cut into large bite sized pieces and place in a lightly greased gratin dish. (You don't want your pieces to be overly large. 2 inch chunks are perfect.)
- To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook over medium low heat for at least three minutes, without browning. (Browning the flour will alter the flavor and color of the sauce.)
- Gradually whisk in the hot chicken stock, white wine and the cream. Cook and stir until bubbly and thickened. (Don't think about the calories, lol)
- Whisk in the gruyere cheese, mustard and tarragon. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed with some sea salt and black pepper. Simmer for about 20 minutes over low heat. (This simmer helps the flavors to really meld together.)
- Pre-heat the oven to 450*F/230*C/gas mark 7. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the gratin dish.
- Mix the bread crumbs and Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses together and sprinkle evenly over top.
- Bake the dish in the heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly. Remove from the oven and serve.
Handling raw chicken carefully is crucial to kitchen and health safety. Too not do so carries the risk of food poisoning or worse. Here are some safety points to consider!
- Always thaw raw chicken overnight in the refrigerator, and store it carefully separated from anything else. It is not safe to thaw it at room temperature. Store raw chicken on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator to prevent its juices from leaking out and contaminating any other food.
- Use separate cutting boards and utensils for chicken to avoid cross contamination.
- Chicken needs really diligent handling as it often carries harmful bacteria which can easily be spread around the kitchen. There is no need to wash raw chicken prior to using it. This often spreads bacteria needlessly. Simply pat it dry with some paper kitchen toweling and dispose of the paper toweling promptly.
- Wash your hands carefully after handling raw chicken to avoid spreading any bacteria to other things. Do not use the same utensils, plates, cutlery, etc. with other ingredients if you have used them to handle the raw chicken. Also take care to clean any surfaces such as countertops, sinks, etc.
- Do not use the same kitchen tools and plates with the cooked chicken that you have used with the raw chicken. It is not safe.
- Ensure that cooked chicken reaches the internal temperature of 165*F/75*C.

Chicken Savoyarde
French Bistro style Chicken. This is not much more than a glamorous chicken casserole and so very easy to make. It's a great way to dress up leftover turkey or chicken if that's all you have, but well worth the extra effort and expense of buying a chicken purposely to poach and dress up in this simple but decadently delicious manner. This will have them scrambling for seconds.
Ingredients
- 1 (4 1/2 lb) free range chicken, organic if possible
- 2 small onions, cut in half and stuck with two cloves
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
- 3 stick of celery, halved (preferably with some leaves attached)
- 2 leeks, trimmed and well washed
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 springs of thyme
- salt
- 4 TBS (60g) butter
- 1/2 cup (60g) plain flour
- 1 3/4 cup (415ml) of the stock, reserved from poaching the chicken
- 1 1/8 cup (285ml) dry white wine
- 1 cup (240ml) double cream
- 2/3 cup (180g) gruyere cheese, grated
- 1 TBS Dijon mustard
- 2 ounces tarragon leaves, chopped (scant quarter cup)
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup (60g) of fresh white bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup (30g) of grated strong cheddar cheese
- 2 TBS of grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- To Poach the chicken: Put the chicken into a large pot along with cold water, barely enough to cover it. Add the vegetables and herbs and a good sprinkling of salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat immediately and poach very gently for around an hour and a half.
- Once cooked thoroughly and tender, lift the chicken very carefully out of the poaching liquid onto a plate and allow it to cool. Strain the poaching liquid through a fine sieve, and set aside to cool.
- Once cooled, lift off any surface fat. I like to use paper kitchen toweling for this. I just keep sweeping it over the top and it lifts and absorbs all the grease. You could also put it into the fridge to chill and the fat would harden to the point where you can just lift it off quite easily.
- Remove all the meat from the chicken carcass, discarding any fat, bone or gristle. Cut into large bite sized pieces and place in a lightly greased gratin dish.
- To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook over medium low heat for at least three minutes, without browning.
- Gradually whisk in the hot chicken stock, white wine and the cream. Cook and stir until bubbly and thickened.
- Whisk in the gruyere cheese, mustard and tarragon. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed with some sea salt and black pepper. Simmer for about 20 minutes over low heat.
- Pre-heat the oven to 450*F/230*C/gas mark 7. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the gratin dish.
- Mix the bread crumbs and Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses together and sprinkle evenly over top.
- Bake the dish in the heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly. Remove from the oven and serve.
Did you make this recipe?
This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.









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