Berries With Vanilla Custard For Two Recipes

BERRIES WITH VANILLA CUSTARD

Steps:

• In a small heavy saucepan, mix cream, egg yolks and sugar. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture is just thick enough to coat a metal spoon and a thermometer reads at least 160°. Do not allow to boil., Transfer to a bowl; stir in vanilla. Refrigerate, covered, until cold. Serve over fresh berries.

BERRIES WITH VANILLA CUSTARD FOR TWO

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the cream, egg yolk and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture reaches 160° and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Chill until serving. Serve with raspberries.

BAKED VANILLA CUSTARD WITH BERRIES

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Have a 2-quart oval baking dish and a roasting pan large enough to hold the baking dish ready.
• Prepare the berries: Combine the strawberries, cherries, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat without stirring, until the fruit has softened a bit and released lots of juices, about 5 minutes. Transfer the fruit and a scant 1/4 cup (59 milliliters) of the juices to the baking dish. Discard any remaining juice.
• Make the custard: Combine the sugar and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and beat vigorously with a whisk until very light and creamy looking. Add the mascarpone and beat just until combined; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the cream and vanilla on medium speed to soft peaks, about 3 minutes. Gently fold the cream and vanilla into the mascarpone mixture until no streaks remain.
• Carefully dollop the custard on top of the berries. Place the baking dish in the roasting pan and place the roasting pan in the oven. Pour hot but not boiling water into the roasting pan so it comes two-thirds of the way up the sides of the baking dish.
• Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the surface is lightly golden, the edges are set and the center is slightly jiggly. If it starts getting too dark too quickly, cover with foil.
• Remove the pudding from the roasting pan and let it cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Cover the custard and chill for 6 hours or overnight. Serve chilled, topped with a dusting of confectioners' sugar and sliced strawberries.

VANILLA CUSTARDS WITH ROASTED BERRIES

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine your milk and vanilla bean flecks (if using extract instead, don't add it yet). Heat the mixture until it is warm, then set aside. You can also do this in a microwave. If your saucepan or microwave dish has a small spout, even better.
• In the bottom of a small saucepan, off the heat, beat or whisk your egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar together vigorously, until it pales in color and a ribbon of batter falls off your whisk when you lift it from the bowl; this will take a few minutes by hand, and likely just one minute with an electric mixer. Whisk in the flour until fully incorporated.
• Whisking the whole time, drizzle the warm vanilla-milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, just a tiny bit at a time at first. Once you've added about 1/4 of the milk, you can add the rest in a thin stream, whisking constantly.
• Bring the saucepan to your stove and heat it over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until it begins to bubble. Once bubbling, whisk it for 1 to 2 more minutes, then remove it from the heat. Immediately stir in vanilla extract (if using) and butter until combined. [Updated to add] As a final step for a perfectly smooth and silky custard, you can press the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer. You can also skip this step if you're not terribly concerned about an imperfect custard.
• To cool your custard quickly, place the saucepan in a larger bowl of ice water that will go halfway up the sides of the saucepan (i.e. water should not spill in) and stir the custard until lukewarm, then divide among serving dishes or ramekins. You can also pour it into serving dishes or ramekins still hot, but you should then press a film of plastic wrap against each custard in the fridge so it doesn't form a pudding skin. Custards keep in fridge for up to 4 days.
• To serve: Preheat oven to 450°F. Place blueberries in a heatproof, shallow roasting dish and sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar. Roast in oven for 12 to 15 minutes, rolling around once or twice during cooking time to ensure they roast evenly. The goal is not to let the blueberries fully slump or turn to sauce; you just want a little trickle of juices puddled across in the bottom. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over berries the second they come out of the oven and roll them back and forth to evenly incorporate it. Spoon hot roasted blueberries and some of their juices over each custard. Eat immediately, passing any extra roasted blueberries alongside.

BERRIES WITH CUSTARD SAUCE (LIGHT AND EASY)

Steps:

• Beat eggs in a small bowl, set aside. In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Gradually stir in milk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Stir a small amount into eggs; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 2 1/2 minutes or until mixture reaches 160 degrees.
• Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and vanilla. Set saucepan in ice and stir mixture for 5 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
• Serve over berries -- strawberries, blueberries, raspberries (whatever mix of berries you prefer).
• Yield: About 2 cups of sauce. Recipe did not state how much berries to use, so I but an estimated amount in the recipe.
• I think it would be really good with angel food cake or shortcake.

MIXED BERRIES WITH VANILLA SAUCE

Steps:

• Stir together sugar and cornstarch in 1-quart stainless steel or nonstick saucepan (do not use aluminum because the sauce will discolor). With wire whisk, stir in soymilk and egg yolks until well blended.
• Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until cold.
• Divide berries among 6 individual dessert dishes. Spoon vanilla anglaise over berries. Serve immediately.

BLUEBERRY CUSTARD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place butter in a 9x13 inch baking dish and place dish in oven to melt butter.
• In a blender, combine eggs, honey, milk, vanilla, flour and salt. Blend until smooth. Pour over melted butter in hot dish. Sprinkle blueberries on top.
• Bake in preheated oven 20 to 25 minutes, until puffed and golden. Sprinkle with nutmeg and confectioners' sugar.