Fried Custard Squares With Berries Recipes

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.

BERRY SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Line a 9-inch square metal baking pan with a 12-inch-long sheet of foil, pressing it into bottom and up sides. Butter foil.
• Make base and topping:
• Blend together oats, flour, brown sugar, zest, baking soda, and salt with your fingertips until well combined. Stir in butter. Reserve 3/4 cup of mixture for topping; transfer remainder to baking pan, pressing it firmly in bottom to form an even layer. Bake in middle of oven until golden, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Make filling while base is baking:
• Stir together berries, sugar, juice, and ornstarch in a small saucepan, then bring to a boil over moderate heat. Cook, stirring, until thick and no longer cloudy, about 5 minutes, and remove from heat.
• Assemble and bake squares:
• Spoon filling onto oat base, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edge. Crumble reserved oat mixture on top.
• Bake in middle of oven until golden and bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack. Holding 2 ends of foil, lift from pan and put on a cutting board. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares.

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.

FRIED CUSTARD SQUARES WITH BERRIES

Steps:

• 1. Lightly butter an 8-by-11-inch glass baking dish. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, lemon zest, and cinnamon stick to a simmer over low heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the lemon zest and cinnamon. 2. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch together. Gradually whisk in the hot milk. Rinse out the saucepan and return the custard to the pan. Stirring constantly with a wooden spatula, bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in the vanilla. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve into the prepared dish and smooth the top. 3. Place piece of buttered waxed paper directly on top of the custard, buttered-side down, and pierce the paper a few times to allow the steam to escape. Place on a wire cake rack and let cool until tepid. Refrigerate until firm and chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight. 4. Remove the waxed paper. Hold a baking sheet over the dish and invert them together to unmold the custard onto the sheet. Cut the custard into 12 equal rectangles. 5. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs well. Place the bread crumbs in another shallow bowl. Coat each custard rectangle evenly with the eggs, then the bread crumbs, patting to help the crumbs adhere. Place on the waxed paper. 6. Preheat the oven to 200°F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. In a deep Dutch oven, melt vegetable shortening over high heat to a depth of 2 to 3 inches and heat it to 365°F. In batches, without crowding, deep-fry the custards until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spatula, transfer the custards to the paper towels to drain, and keep warm in the oven while frying the rest. Serve immediately, garnished with the berries.