As its name suggests, this elegant-looking dessert hails from the town of Fontainebleau, near Paris, famous for its château, which once belonged to the kings of France. This mousse of whipped cream and fresh cheese was supposedly invented in the nineteenth century by a local cheesemaker. Notice that I said supposedly, as mystery still surrounds the Fontainebleau—from its creator’s name to its original recipe which some say includes egg whites and others crème fraîche.
Little pots of Fontainebleau are sold across France in fromageries (cheese shops), and over the years I’ve tasted all kinds of them to find my favorite, to re-create it at home. So, here it is. Perfectly airy and perfectly sweet. I love it to round a meal off on a lighter note.
MAKES 4 RAMEKINS
1 cup plus 1 tbsp (300 g) Greek yogurt or Quark/Skyr (see note)
1¼ cups (300 ml) whipping cream (+36%)
⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp (73 g) sugar
2 cups (250 g) fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, etc.)
3 extra tbsp (38 g) sugar, for dusting
Line a double-layered cheesecloth over a fine-mesh strainer. Set it on top of a bigger bowl with room for liquid to drain. Pour the Greek yogurt into the cheesecloth, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
After 3 hours of draining, you will notice liquid at the bottom of the bowl and the yogurt will have firmed up to a soft cheesecake-like texture. Discard the liquid.
Pour the whipping cream into a large bowl, and place it in the freezer for 10 minutes. Whip the cream to soft peaks, add the sugar and whip again until medium to stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the Greek yogurt.
Line double-layered cheesecloth into four small ramekins, and fill them with the Greek yogurt mousse. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Thirty minutes before serving, lay the berries on a plate and sprinkle with the sugar. Shake the plate gently to ensure the berries are coated evenly. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes, as this helps the sugar to better stick to the fruit.
For serving, flip each ramekin onto a serving plate, gently peel off the cheesecloth and garnish with the now semi-frozen berries.
NOTE: Making a Fontainebleau traditionally starts with “faisselle,” a French-style fresh cheese similar to fromage blanc, only richer and firmer. Faisselle is hand-ladled into molds perforated with little holes to allow the whey to be drained. In Canada, I substitute the faisselle with more widely available thick Greek yogurt, Quark or Skyr, and drain it in a cheesecloth for a few hours.