Sformatino di Piselli e Prosciutto di Parma

Ingredients

• 400 g fresh peas, shelled weight; in season May–June
• 200 ml double cream
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 40 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
• 20 g unsalted butter, softened, for the ramekins
• For the prosciutto sauce
• 2 slices Prosciutto di Parma crudo, cut into strips
• 30 g unsalted butter
• 30 ml double cream, a splash
• 1 pinch white pepper, freshly ground

Method

1. 1
   Heat the oven to 160 °C. Butter four ramekins generously and line the base of each with a disc of parchment. Set aside in a deep roasting tin. Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
2. 2
   Blanch the shelled peas for exactly 2 minutes, then transfer immediately to iced water. Drain once cold. Purée the peas while still warm — residual warmth keeps the purée fluid. Pass the entire purée through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing firmly with a spatula; discard the skins left behind. The sieved purée should be smooth, vivid green, and free of any granular texture.
3. 3
   Whisk together the 2 whole eggs, the extra yolk, and the 200 ml cream until fully combined. Stir in the grated Parmigiano and the sieved pea purée. Season with salt. The mixture should be uniformly pale green and coat a spoon lightly.
4. 4
   This is where the dish lives or dies: pour the custard into the prepared ramekins, filling to within 3 mm of the rim. Pour boiling water into the roasting tin to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Slide into the oven and bake at 160 °C for 25 minutes. The bain-marie must not boil vigorously — the water should steam gently, never bubble. The custard sets uniformly: it should tremble at the centre when the tin is nudged but show no liquid movement at the edges.
5. 5
   While the sformatini finish baking, prepare the sauce. Place the butter in a small pan over the lowest heat. Add the prosciutto strips and warm them gently — they must not sizzle or colour. Add the splash of cream and a pinch of white pepper; stir once. The prosciutto should be silken and warm, the butter emulsified into the cream. Remove from heat immediately.
6. 6
   Remove the ramekins from the bain-marie. Run a thin knife cleanly around the inner edge of each. Place a warm plate face-down over the ramekin, then invert in one decisive motion. Lift the ramekin; the sformato should stand as a firm, pale-green dome. The surface should be set and smooth, neither cracked nor collapsed.
7. 7
   Spoon the warm prosciutto sauce around the base of each dome and serve at once. The sformato must be warm at the moment of service — a cold custard will not hold its shape on the plate.