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French Classics
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Top tips for crème brulée with cherry compote
Top tips for cherry compote
Like Romeo & Juliet and Kim & Kanye, crème brulée and griotte make the perfect pair. Griotte
is the French word for Morello or sour cherries, which grow beautifully in the French basque
country, close to the border between France and Spain. Crème brulée has a delicious
sounding ancestor called crema catalana that originated in Catalonia, also situated close to
the border between France and Spain.
A useful ratio
The rule of thumb for making perfectly textured jams is 50% sugar to 50% fruit. The golden
ratio for compotes is similar, although you can actually use slightly less sugar.
Add lemon for a zingy flavour
A squeeze of lemon will add a wickedly citrus zing to your compote.
Use cornflour to thicken the sauce
Cornflour is a brilliant ingredient for thickening sauces. Add a little cold water to it to dilute it
before pouring it into your cherry compote, though. Once you’ve added the cornflour, it’s
important to bring your compote to the boil so that the cornflour is cooked through. If you
don’t do this, your sauce will taste a bit chalky and will have a less than perfect texture.
Top tips for crème brulée
Crème brulée as we know it today takes its roots from a dessert called crema catalana, which
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