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…