Would you like to wow everyone with irresistible, creamy desserts? Then you absolutely have to get to know namelaka! This super soft, indulgent cream will be your new ally in the kitchen. Whether you want to decorate or fill cakes, choux buns and tarts, namelaka is the perfect solution: thanks to how simple it is, you can have fun with both classic flavours, such as chocolate and vanilla, and more unusual ones, such as citrus and spices.
Are you ready to discover the namelaka recipe? Let's start cooking!
WHAT IS NAMELAKA?
The namelaka is a cream that requires no cooking at all: you simply melt the chocolate (or another flavour of your choice) in hot milk, add the gelatine and finally fold in the cold cream. In next to no time you'll have a super creamy, soft cream, perfect for filling and decorating your desserts.
Today we'll be making the namelaka with white chocolate, but you can choose whichever flavour you prefer!
INGREDIENTS
- 100 g fresh whole milk
- Grated zest of two lemons
- 30 g glucose syrup
- 4 g gelatine sheets
- 200 g fresh cream
- 180 g chocolate
PROCEDURE
- Start by softening the gelatine in cold water and, once you have squeezed it out, set it aside.
- Slowly bring the milk to the boil together with the glucose syrup and the lemon zest.
- Add the previously softened gelatine and leave to infuse for 4–5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, weigh out 180 grams of white chocolate in a 1-litre jug.
- Once the infusion time is up, strain the milk onto the chocolate and blend everything with an immersion blender.
- Add the fresh cream and keep blending for a few seconds, until you have a smooth, even cream.
- Pour the namelaka into a container, cover it with cling film pressed onto the surface and let the cream chill in the fridge for 12 hours.
- Once this stabilising time has passed, you can finally whip your delicious namelaka and use it to fill and decorate your favourite desserts!
A DROP OF HISTORY
We often deal with historical recipes, handed down from generation to generation with the odd tweak, but the recipe for namelaka is an exception: this delicious cream was born in the late 1990s thanks to the collaboration between a few Japanese pastry chefs and a chef from the École du Chocolat by Valrhona. The name namelaka comes from Japanese and means extremely creamy: a term that perfectly captures the soft, velvety texture that sets this cream apart, achieved by using cold liquid cream instead of the classic whipped cream. In just a few years, the namelaka has become one of the most loved and widely used creams in the world of haute pâtisserie, thanks to its versatility and its irresistible creaminess.
Choux buns, pastries, cakes, muffins, tarts and macarons: no one will be able to resist your desserts any longer with this new secret weapon!
