• 8 ounces good-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 ounce good-quality unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
• Few grains salt
• 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. hot water

For sauce, combine finely chopped chocolates and salt in medium heatproof bowl. Set over very warm water on low heat; stir frequently until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and hot water. All at once, add 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. hot water. Whisk well to combine ingredients; sauce should be perfectly smooth. Cool to room temperature before serving. This sauce can be made up to several days in advance. Store airtight at room temperature. If made in advance, it may be necessary to thin the sauce with a little warm water to a pouring consistency before serving.

Yield: About 1-1/4 cups

For Bavarian Cream, lightly oil mold with tasteless vegetable oil (I use a paper towel to do this) and set it aside. Chill a medium bowl and the beater(s) from a hand-held electric mixer.

Place chopped white chocolate in small heatproof bowl. Heat 1/2 cup heavy cream (reserve remainder) in small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until very hot. Pour about half of hot cream onto chocolate. Place over warm water on low heat (water should not touch bottom of bowl); stir often until melted and smooth. radually whisk in remaining cream. (Note: White chocolate is often stubborn about melting. If you cannot get yours to become smooth, add the rest of the cream as instructed. Whisk to combine, then turn the mixture into a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Cover to keep warm, but do not process yet.) Set aside near stove.

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small cup; stir to combine. Set aside near stove.

In medium heatproof bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar, and about 1/4 cup milk (reserve remainder). By hand, beat well to combine. Place remaining milk in small, heavy saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring often, until very hot. Very gradually add hot milk to egg mixture, beating constantly. Turn entire custard mixture back into saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until custard reaches a temperature of 172'F on a candy thermometer. Immediately remove from heat.

Now, if your white chocolate mixture wasn't smooth, process it just until there are no lumps left. Add this mixture to the cooked custard and stir it in thoroughly (don't forget to scrape the sides of the pot). Add the soaked gelatin and stir it in until the gelatin grains are dissolved (this is easiest to see with a metal spoon). Strain the mixture through a fine strainer into a large, nonreactive metal bowl.

You'll need another bowl or a frying pan of larger diameter (but not deeper) than the bowl into which you've strained your white chocolate mixture. Partially fill the larger container with ice and cold water, and set the bowl of white chocolate custard into it. Gently whisk occasionally; the mixture will begin to thicken after 10 to 15 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula from time to time. After mixture begins to thicken, whisk a bit more frequently until white chocolate custard is the approximate consistency of raw egg whites. You do NOT want the custard to set now, so watch it carefully. While the custard is cooling, check the mold you have oiled. I usually need to even out the light coating of oil on it with a paper towel, as the oil tends to bead up after a while. Do this if required.

When the white chocolate custard is of the right consistency, whisk well and remove from ice and water. In chilled medium bowl with chilled beater(s), beat reserved 1 cup heavy cream just until cream forms a soft shape (this is before soft peak stage). Whisk cooled custard well once more to loosen, then quickly but gently and thoroughly fold in softly whipped cream. Don't handle any more than necessary. Mixture will be thin at this stage--OK. Quickly pour into oiled mold; spread evenly. With a toothpick, prick any large air bubbles. Place mold in refrigerator. Chill Bavarian cream at least 4 hours before serving.

To unmold: Have ready a container of hot water; your mold must be able to fit into the container, but the container should be shallower than the mold. Loosen Bavarian cream from sides of mold gently (I use a plastic knife). Dip mold into hot water for a count of 10; hot water should come almost all the way up the side of the mold. BE CAREFUL! You don't want to get any hot water into the Bavarian cream! Quickly dry the bottom and sides of the mold with a dish towel. Turn serving plate upside down on top of Bavarian cream. Holding plate and mold together, invert. The Bavarian cream should slide out of the mold. If not, re-invert and dip into hot water for a few seconds more. Serve with above sauce and fresh berries.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

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