This softly set, melt-in-the-mouth mousse, which is essentially a savoury custard, makes a great starter or a quirky element of a cheeseboard.
This is rich but, if you love cheese, is intensely satisfying: think of it as a much more refined cheese spread, but without the nasties!
It is perfect served at room temperature as a starter with a few pickles and some toast, but I sometimes serve it as part of a cheeseboard along with a selection of cheeses, crackers and chutneys. My pickled cucumbers go particularly well with this.
Please don’t be put off by the thought of a savoury custard: this is essentially what you get in a quiche, with bags of flavour and a smooth texture that dissolves effortlessly in the mouth.
As this custard is very rich, it is best served in small portions: small ramekins or shot glasses are ideal. I sometimes pour some into the base of a ramekin and then top with cooled roasted vegetables and croutons for a layered treat.
However, it can be set in one larger dish and spoonfuls of the set custard added to serving plates: it will shape, such as for quenelles, like soft ice cream.
Parmesan and spring onion custard
Don’t be tempted to skip the cream or use lower fat milk as the lack of fat could make the mixture give a scrambled appearance once you add the cheese.
Precise measuring of the agar-agar
Rather than eggs as the setting agent, I used agar-agar as the setting agent: mainly because it is quicker to use but also because eggs are currently still in short supply in the UK. But the cream in this dish also makes up for the richness that the egg yolks would also bring.
Agar-agar, a seaweed-based setting agent, is used in very small quantities: too much, which is sometimes the main issue with dishes using agar-agar, and a mixture is like rubber!
Digital scales: 0.01g increments
For measuring the agar-agar, digital scales that only measure to the nearest gram are not precise enough, let alone the impracticalities here when it comes to weighing less than a gram!
I recommend scales which can measure in tenths or ideally hundredths of grams: similar the the one in the photo above. You could get away with using the tip of a teaspoon, but there is still some variety in that.
Recipe: Parmesan & spring onion custard – serves 4
Parmesan and spring onion custard
- 120ml double cream
- 140ml whole milk
- 1 rounded teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
- 0.4g agar-agar
- 60g Parmesan*, finely grated
To finish, optional:
- finely chopped spring onion
- a few chilli flakes
you will also need shot glasses or small ramekins
*this works very well with other cheeses: Stilton, Red Leicester and mature Cheddar are glorious. I also love using a naturally smoked cheese for extra oomph.
(1) Put the cream, milk and most of the spring onions into a small pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat.
(2) Whisk in the agar-agar and mustard and let the mixture simmer gently for 3 minutes, whisking from time to time.
(3) Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan until it has melted into the mixture.
(4) Stir in the remaining spring onions and pour into the glasses or ramekins.
(5) Leave to cool a bit before chilling for at least a couple of hours. Serve at room temperature.
