My love for travelling only comes second to that for chocolate. Not just the "getting there" or "being there" bits, but also the packing ritual, when I realise how much I managed to whittle down my belongings to the bare minimum. I still remember my 17-year old-self at Heathrow airport when I first travelled to Britain. I turned up with a Samsonite suitcase the size of a large wardrobe in one hand and - yes, I am ashamed - a matching beauty case in the other. In those salad days I still relied on the dubious advice of my mother, who is the kind of woman that likes to take the kitchen sink with her when she leaves home.
But as the reality of modern travel dawned upon me, I quickly learned that hand luggage is the lifebuoy of the savvy traveller, and promptly ditched the beauty case. Nowadays I only dust off the oversize Samsonite when I travel to Venice, safe in the knowledge that I can't help stocking up on foodie goodies.
Usually, on work-related trips I take a small backpack or carry on with enough sample-sized toiletries and black clothes to look presentable in most circumstances. Which may range from sitting on the floor during a crowded press conference to dinner a deux at the impossibly grand Hotel Crillon in Paris - in the same day. Which is why last week I only needed to brush my hair and apply a smidgen of Ferrari-red lipstick as I rushed to an impromptu invitation to L'Obelisque, one of the two highly rated restaurants inside the venerable Crillon.
The food, the wine and the company (which is not on the menu, I am afraid) were superb. Even more so the dessert I chose for both of us from a delectable selection by L'Obelisque pastry chef Christophe Felder: three doll-sized pots filled with vanilla, chocolate and taste-bud tickling tea custard. My taste buds were so tickled that on my return to London I spent my lunch break sniffing teas at the Twinings shop on The Strand, looking for a variety of leaves that would help me recapture the taste of L'Obelisque's silky custard. It turned out to be the musky aroma of Darjeeling tea. Don't use anything else in the recipe.
Tea custard (serves four)
500ml whole milk
3 Darjeeling teabags
100g caster sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 egg yolk
Reserve one tablespoon of milk and heat the remainder in a saucepan. Turn off the heat once the milk starts boiling and steep the teabags for about 10 minutes, until it turns the colour of cappuccino. In a bowl, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, egg yolk and the tablespoon of milk to obtain a smooth mixture. Remove the teabags, add the egg mixture to tea-flavoured milk and bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Boil for about five minutes until the mixture starts to thicken, then pour into four small bowls. Cool down to room temperature and refrigerate, preferably overnight. Serve with a smug smile, mentioning to your guests that it's exactly like the eponymous dessert at L'Obelisque, if not better.









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