A bain-marie (or water bath) provides gentle cooking, keeps food moist
For silken custards, smooth-topped cheesecakes and velvety sauces, nothing does the job quite like a bain-marie: a water bath or double boiler. The name is derived from a medieval Latin phrase, which literally means “Mary’s bath,” an invention often attributed to an ancient Jewish alchemist named Mary.
A bain-marie consists of a container such as a bowl, ramekins, souffle dish or pan set over another, larger container with warm to hot water to cook the food gently over a length of time. The outer vessel could be a large pan about three to four inches tall set in the oven, or a double boiler set directly over the stovetop. The bain-marie is also used in industrial and science labs to heat up materials and instruments, but we’re headed toward more delectable outcomes here.
In the oven-heated, wide-panned bain-marie, the water usually reaches half to two-thirds the way up the food vessel sitting in the baking pan. As far as food containers go, cheesecakes and whole flans are often cooked in a springform or other deeper pans or souffle bowls, or smaller containers like ramekins and small bowls. Savory dishes like terrines — made from seasoned ground meats, seafood, or vegetables — are often packed into a metal or ceramic loaf dish before being cooked in the bainmarie. The gentleness of this cooking method provides a uniform heat that cooks thoroughly without drying out the dish.
The ideal outer vessel might be a roasting pan, casserole dish or even a broiler pan, but something very deep like a dutch oven would hold too much heat along its high side walls and overcook the food.
Occasionally recipes will call for you to line the outer dish with a kitchen towel or paper towels to prevent the individual ramekins from slipping and sliding around once the water is poured into the bath. The water should be boiling to get the inner vessel up to temperature quickly. Be very careful as you pour, to avoid splashing water into the food vessels. Ensure that the bath reaches no more than two-thirds of the way up the food vessels’ sides.
One sound suggestion is to have the outer baking pan with the inner food vessels already on the oven shelf before you add the boiling water to avoid sloshing about in transferring the large pan from, say, a kitchen counter to the oven. Once it’s filled and set to bake, you should check that the water is at a hardly noticeable simmer. If it’s boiling, your oven is set at too high a temperature. Conversely, if you find that the water level is too low, refill it even midway through cooking with boiling water.
The recipe I’m sharing is the Lemon Pudding with Fresh Berries. My idea of heaven is when my husband and daughter surprised me with this light and lemony dessert on Mother’s Day. The lemon-laced pudding was reminiscent of English puddings I had had in my native Singapore; it was simple and luscious when served with fresh berries.
Counter Culture zeroes in on a single food or ingredient (or sometimes, technique) to help readers broaden their horizons in the kitchen.
Lemon Pudding with Fresh Berries
(Makes 8 servings).
2 tablespoons butter
11⁄3 cup superfine sugar for pudding, plus 1⁄3 cup more for dusting ramekins or bowls
4 eggs, separated
11⁄3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons lemon zest from 2 lemons
⁄4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice 1
1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
⁄2 teaspoon salt 1
1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla
1 pint fresh raspberries
1 pint fresh blueberries
1 pint fresh blackberries
2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced lengthwise
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and lightly sugar 8 ramekins or shallow bowls (about 1 cup size). Set in baking pan, or two, or bake in two batches. Bring a kettle or two (or pot) of water to boil.
In a mixer, add egg yolks, buttermilk, lemon juice and lemon zest and beat until well combined. Reduce the speed to low and sift in flour, vanilla, sugar and salt. Continue to mix until combined.
In separate bowl, beat egg whites until you get stiff peaks, then combine the 2 mixtures by gently folding them together, a little at a time. Some of the whisked egg white might remain unmixed in small pea-size portions. Divide evenly among ramekins or bowls, set to bake in a water bath, for example set ramekins in a roasting tray in the oven and fill it with water half to two-thirds of the way up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake for 42-45 minutes until the top springs back when gently pressed and the puddings start pulling from the edges. Allow to cool slightly, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour. Run a thin knife or spatula around the edge and then carefully invert onto a plate. Garnish with fresh berries.