Making the pouring custard base (creme anglaise)

Cup of Yum
1. To make the pouring custard, please follow my creme anglaise recipe instructions. Do check that post for more tips on how to make the perfect creme anglaise.
2. Since this custard will have gelatin added to it, you will need to bloom the gelatin first. So first place the water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the water and stir with a toothpick to hydrate all of the gelatin. Set it aside while you cook the custard.
3. Place the milk in a saucepan. Heat over medium / medium-high heat until the milk starts to steam. Make sure to regularly stir to prevent the milk from burning.
4. In a medium bowl, place the egg yolks, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Whisk very well until the egg yolks become very smooth and start to turn pale in color.
5. Once heated, remove the milk from the stove for the next step.
6. The next step is to temper the eggs by slowly adding the milk into the egg mixture. Place the bowl with the egg mixture on a non-slip surface (i.e. on a rubber pad or wet cloth napkin placed on the kitchen counter).
7. Carefully pour the hot milk mixture in a thin stream into the egg mixture, making sure to constantly whisk the egg mix as the milk is poured in.
8. When about half of the milk is added to the egg mix, the egg mixture should be warm enough / tempered. Whisk it once more to make sure all the egg yolks are mixed in well (while scraping down the sides of the bowl).
9. Pour this egg and milk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Whisk well to combine.
10. Lower the heat on the stove to a medium low or low heat, and return the saucepan to the stove to cook the custard. When you cook the custard, you may have to alternate cooking it on the stove and then remove it from the stove to stir and disperse the heat if the custard is overheating too quickly (and then return it to the stove once again). You may have to do this a few times depending on the heat of your stove. You can also lower the heat of your stove further.
11. Cook the custard while constantly stirring with a rubber spatula until the custard has thickened to the correct consistency. This can take anywhere from 4 – 10 minutes depending on the stove, size of the saucepan, and saucepan material. Make sure to scrape the edges, sides, and bottom of the pan with the spatula to evenly heat the custard and to prevent the custard from “setting” at the bottom.
12. The custard will start to thicken as it reaches the correct temperature. The custard is done when it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon with a film of custard. The temperature of the custard should reach 180 – 185°F (82 – 85°C).
13. When the custard is done, remove it from the heat and add the butter and the bloomed gelatin in and whisk until they both completely dissolve in the custard. Pour the custard through a sieve into a large bowl.
14. Let the custard cool down to room temperature. Do not put it in the fridge at this stage, since you do not want the gelatin in the custard to set. Place the pot in a cool area so that it can cool down. Occasionally stir the custard to make sure it's cooling down evenly.

Making the creme bavarois

1. While the custard is cooling down, prepare the molds. This recipe makes 7 - 8 cups of bavarian cream. Lightly butter as many molds as you want to serve (i.e. either 7 - 8 one cup serving dishes, or 14 half cup serving dishes). Set aside until the custard is ready.
2. When the custard has cooled to almost room temperature (but make sure that it's NOT set), you should start to whip the heavy cream.
3. In a large metal bowl (preferably chilled bowl), place the chilled heavy cream. Whisk the heavy cream until you have soft peaks in the cream.
4. Add about a quarter of the whipped cream into the room temperature (or slightly warm) creme anglaise. Fold it in using a whisk. Then add the rest of the whipped cream and gently fold it in until there are no more white streaks in the custard mixture.
5. Pour this mixture into the prepared serving molds and cover with plastic wrap. Transfer to the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
6. To serve, carefully unmold the bavarian cream from the molds onto serving dishes. If you used silicone molds, a little squeeze should help to pop them out. However, if you used plastic or metal molds, you may need to dip them in hot water for a few seconds to release the pudding from the mold.
7. However, do not let it sit in the hot water for too long, because you don't want the bavarian cream to melt. Use your fingers to gently pull the pudding away from the sides of the mold to "break the seal".
8. Serve as is, or with any sweet sauce. Suggestions included below in recipe notes.