Deep Fried Custard Slices Spain Recipes

DEEP-FRIED CUSTARD SLICES (SPAIN)

Steps:

• Put milk, lemon zest, 4 tbsp sugar & vanilla bean in a saucepan & bring to a slow boil. Remove pan from heat source, allow milk mixture to cool & remove vanilla bean.
• Melt butter in a 2nd saucepand till foaming & add flour. Cook till the flour foams & turns pale golden, stirring continuously.
• Slowly add the warm milk, still stirring. Cook the sauce on low-heat for 5 min till it thickens.
• Remove pan from the heat source. Slowly add some of the mixture to the beaten egg yolks & whisk quickly to avoid cooking them. Then add the egg yolks to the milk/flour mixture & beat vigorously till well-combined.
• Butter (or spray w/PAM) a rectangular or square dish. Pour the custard into the dish & leave to set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. (See note in Step 7).
• Combine 2 tbsp sugar w/cinnamon & nutmeg & set aside.
• Cut the cold custard into triangles or squares (A square dish can be cut easily into 9 portions & a rectangular dish can be cut into 8 portions)
• Beat 2 eggs lightly & dip the pieces of custard in the beaten eggs, then in the breadcrumbs.
• Heat the oil in a lrg skillet or saucepan & fry the custard slices in batches till golden brown.
• Drain custard slices briefly on paper towels & arrange on a serving platter. Using a sml tea-strainer or other dusting container, sprinkle sugar/cinnamon/nutmeg mixture atop the custard slices. Serve lukewarm or cold as desired (Fresh fruit would provide color & be esp nice to serve w/this).
• NOTE: The # of servings was not given & depends largely on how you cut the custard, so I estimated the yield. Nearly all the time is cooking or chilling time, but I allowed 15 min for prep time. Times DO NOT include time for the milk mix to cool & custard to chill till cold, so plan ahead & try to forgive me if I'm a bit off w/my estimates. :-).

GREEN GAZPACHO (SPAIN)

Steps:

• In a blender, combine lettuce, spinach, scallions, cucumber & parsley, processing until the mixture forms a puree.
• Gradually add the broth, 1/2 cup of sour cream, mayo, mint, salt & pepper, processing the mixture until it has an even consistency, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Serve in chilled bowls with a dollop of sour cream in the middle of each.

FRIED CUSTARD SQUARES WITH RUM SAUCE

Steps:

• Make custard squares:
• Butter an 8-inch-square baking pan.
• In a heavy saucepan bring milk just to a boil with cinnamon stick and star anise and keep at a bare simmer 15 minutes. Pour hot milk through a sieve into a large glass measuring cup or heatproof pitcher.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together 3 eggs, cornstarch, 2/3 cup sugar, and salt and add hot milk in a stream, beating until smooth. Return custard to saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. (Custard may look curdled as it begins to thicken but will become smooth as it is boiled and whisked.) Boil custard, whisking vigorously, 1 minute and remove saucepan from heat. (Custard will be very thick and smooth.)
• Immediately pour custard into prepared baking pan, smoothing top, and chill, surface covered with plastic wrap, until firm, about 1 1/2 hours. Cut custard into 2-inch squares.
• In a small bowl whisk together bread crumbs, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and ground cinnamon. In another small bowl lightly whisk remaining 2 eggs.
• Have ready flour in a bowl and a tray lined with wax paper. Working with 1 custard square at a time, coat square with flour, shaking off excess, and then with egg, letting excess drip off. Coat square with bread crumb mixture, transferring as coated to tray. Chill squares, uncovered 30 minutes.
• Make sauce:
• In a saucepan combine water, sugar, 1/2 cup rum, and star anise and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. Stir in remaining tablespoon rum and lime juice and pour mixture through a sieve into a glass measuring cup or heatproof pitcher.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. and set a rack in a shallow baking pan.
• In a heavy 12- to 14-inch skillet heat 1 1/2 inches oil over moderately high heat until it registers 375°F. on a deep-fat thermometer and fry squares in 3 batches until golden, about 15 seconds on each side. Carefully transfer squares as fried with a slotted spatula to rack to drain and keep warm in oven.
• Onto each of 8 dessert plates pour 2 tablespoons sauce. Halve 12 custard squares diagonally and arrange 3 triangles on each plate. Garnish dessert with star fruit and star anise.