An unexpected treat
I have always been a fan of Bonne Maman’s delicious range of jams and preserves. It’s the taste and lovely runny texture that sold me – no surprise that it bosts 45g of whole fruit per 100g of jam. In distinctively shaped jars, topped with a homey-looking imitation-gingham lid, I have worked my way through their range over the years, apricot, blackcurrant and peach being particular favourites. And the jars themselves have also come in handy, housing many of my range of spices and herbs.
So, it was no surprise that I couldn’t resist when faced with the range of Bonne Maman chilled desserts in the supermarket the other evening. I don’t often buy pre-prepared foods but being a bag lady (I’m currently looking for a place to live in Dublin) does make you lower your standards. Besides, they were on special and came in the most dotey little glass pots. I just couldn’t walk away! The choice was between crème brûlée, crème caramel and chocolate pot de crèmes and, after a bit of pondering, I decided on the crème caramel, swayed in no small part by the fact that the ingredients list just contained fresh whole milk, sugar, fresh eggs and caramel.
Last night I was very glad that I had succumbed to temptation. Each wee pot – there were two in the package – was topped with a little plastic gingham cover, à la the pots of jam. There was a thin skin on top, which I broke through to reach spoonfuls of smooth creamy custard. On the base was a layer of runny caramelised sugar which had a distinctively nutty flavour. I was happy, nibbling away at spoons of custard, interspersed with spoonfuls of custard and caramel. All I needed was a crisp biscuit to scoop it out of the jar and then life would have been near perfect. As it is, I’ve still another one to go. And then there’s the rest of the range to try out…
I love the way the French do yoghurt in little glass pots. Whenever I holiday in France I have a stack of empty ones ready to pack to bring home and never enough room in my suitcase.
Being a bag lady at the moment, I’m developing a similar pile of empty pots that travels round from house to house with me! What do you use yours for, Barbara?
If I ever managed to bring any home I would use them for serving any number of desserts – mousse, jellies, custards, home made yoghurt.
Well, if I ever manage to find a place to live, I’ll have some ideas! They are cute, aren’t they? Just the perfect size for a single helping!
Mmmn, I’ll have to look out for those but I suspect that the jams are more likely here than the chilled desserts! But that sounds a whole lot better than my supermarket’s version, which is packed with gelatin, stablilizers and gums!
I was amazed to see that the ingredients didn’t include any of the nasties that you mentioned, Plum. I don’t know how easy they’ll be to find in Australia, though, I’ve only come across them in one supermarket chain in Ireland!
Working my way through a jar of their bitter orange marmalade at the moment…mmmmm….