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Baba au rhum with bitter orange cream and citrus salad

Baba au rhum with bitter orange cream and citrus salad

“I dined at The Brasserie by Philippe Mouchel at Melbourne’s Crown with colleagues, and those who didn’t order the sensational baba au rhum wished they had. Please persuade Philippe Mouchel to part with his recipe.”
Christine McCraith, Canterbury, Vic

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Baba au rhum with bitter orange cream and citrus salad

Serves 4
Cooking Time Prep time 35 mins, cook 45 mins (plus proving, soaking)
210 gm   plain flour
¾ tsp   dried yeast
3   eggs
60 gm   butter, softened
1 tsp   honey
1 tbsp   apricot jam
Citrus salad
300 gm   white sugar
600 ml   fresh orange juice
2   each of orange and grapefruit, peeled and segmented
Bitter orange cream
3   egg yolks
50 gm   caster sugar
25 gm   plain flour
250 ml (1 cup)   milk
125 gm   fine-cut orange marmalade
150 ml   pouring cream, whipped to soft peaks
Citrus syrup
250 gm   white sugar
1   orange and 1 lemon, rind removed with a vegetable peeler
1   vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
200 ml   golden rum (or to taste)


1 Preheat oven to 170C. Combine flour, yeast and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add eggs, butter and honey and mix until dough is elastic. Divide dough among 4 lightly greased 100ml-capacity dariole moulds, cover with a damp tea towel and stand in a warm place until double in size (30-40 minutes). Bake until golden and babas sound hollow when tapped (15-20 minutes). Remove from moulds and place in a shallow dish. Keep warm.
2 Meanwhile, for citrus salad, heat sugar in a frying pan over medium heat until dark caramel (10-15 minutes). Add juice (be careful as it will spit), bring to the boil and cook, stirring to dissolve caramel, until reduced by one third (5-10 minutes). Cool, add citrus segments, cover and refrigerate.
3 For bitter orange cream, whisk together yolks and sugar in a bowl until combined, then add flour and whisk to combine. Bring milk just to the boil over medium heat (5-7 minutes), gradually pour over egg yolk mixture, whisking to combine. Transfer to a clean saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until thick (3-5 minutes). Set aside to cool, then refrigerate until chilled. Stir in marmalade to combine and fold through cream. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Makes 2 cups.
4 For citrus syrup, combine all ingredients except rum in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and syrup is warm (3-5 minutes). Add rum, pour over warm babas and turn frequently to soak in syrup until almost all is absorbed (10-15 minutes).
5 Meanwhile, combine jam and 2 tsp water in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until jam dissolves. Brush over babas, then serve with citrus salad and bitter orange cream.


RECIPE Philippe Mouchel, The Brasserie by Philippe Mouchel PHOTOGRAPHY Ben Dearnley STYLING Elodie Rambaud


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