The vanilla namelaka is a silky, velvety, and at the same time fluffy cream with a delicate and enveloping taste. Very simple to prepare, it can be customized as desired and adapted into an infinite number of variations to create always different desserts.
Cream, chocolate, milk, and gelatin are the basic ingredients of the cream to which you add the flavor (which can be a simple vanilla bean, some nut paste, or fresh fruit puree) to customize it as you like. This summer, for example, I made the coconut namelaka with which I filled a delicious soft raspberry and coconut tart.
Namelaka is a modern cream, created in the late 90s by a Japanese chef at the École du Grand Chocolat Valrhona and first published by one of the founders of the school, the French Frédéric Bau. Thanks to its versatility, since then, many variations have been created; namelaka is perfect as a filling cream, as decoration, and as a plated dessert but finds its highest expression in piping bag decoration and cake design.
I don’t like cream-based creams, but I find namelaka fantastic, it has a unique melt-in-the-mouth quality and is extremely light and fresh. The recipe is very simple and requires no cooking but needs a long rest in the fridge before use.
Also try these other creams:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 12 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: for 490 g of namelaka
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 354.79 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 23.85 (g) of which sugars 22.96 (g)
- Proteins 4.07 (g)
- Fat 27.38 (g) of which saturated 7.20 (g)of which unsaturated 3.78 (g)
- Fibers 0.07 (g)
- Sodium 32.71 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 6 oz white chocolate (of excellent quality)
- 0.4 cup milk
- 0.8 cup fresh whipping cream
- 1 tsp glucose
- 0.5 tsp gelatin sheets (240° Bloom – I use Pane Angeli gelatin)
- 1 tbsp water (to hydrate the gelatin)
- Half a bean vanilla
Tools
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Jug
- 1 Immersion blender
- 2 Small bowls
Procedure
Roughly chop the white chocolate and place it in the jug along with the seeds from the half vanilla bean.
Cut the gelatin sheet into small pieces, place them in a small bowl and add 1 tbsp of cold water (the gelatin should be hydrated with an amount of water equal to 5 times its weight), let it rest for 8/10 minutes.
In another small bowl, pour the milk, add the glucose syrup, and heat it in the microwave for 40/50 seconds; it should be hot but not boiling, about 140°F (if you prefer, you can heat it in a small saucepan over low heat).
Add the hydrated gelatin to the milk and dissolve it; pour everything into the jug with the white chocolate and let it rest for 30 seconds. Blend the mixture with the immersion blender until a smooth cream is obtained.
Add the cold cream, mix the mixture again.
Cover the cream with cling film touching the surface and place it in the fridge to set for 12 hours.
The vanilla namelaka is ready; you can use it as is for your recipes or whip it with electric beaters; I prefer the whipped version as it is fluffier and lighter.The namelaka (the word means ultra-creamy) can be used in 3 ways:
1) as soon as it is ready, you can pour it, still liquid, into a modern mold or a base and let it set in the fridge for 12 hours. If you have a blast chiller, the resting times decrease significantly.
2) you can mix it, let it rest in the fridge for 12 hours and use it as a filling cream for tarts, cream puffs, or others, or you can use it as a plated dessert.
3) you can mix it, let it rest in the fridge for 12 hours then whip it with electric beaters, I definitely prefer this method because it gives the cream a significant fluffiness.
If you want to whip it, transfer it to a bowl and whip it with electric beaters until you get a dense cream similar to whipped cream but more compact. Be careful not to whip it too much, or it may start forming lumps and spoil.
Once it is ready, place it in a piping bag and use it to decorate cakes, desserts, tarts, or serve it as a dessert with a spoon.
Tips
Storage
The vanilla namelaka keeps between 1 and 4°C for 3/4 days
**************************
For advice on making the recipes, contact me on FACEBOOK and, if you like, follow me on INSTAGRAM
Send me your photos, I will be happy to publish them on my social media
For advice on making the recipes, contact me on FACEBOOK and, if you like, follow me on INSTAGRAM
Send me your photos, I will be happy to publish them on my social media
