Summer Berries With Bay Leaf Custard Recipes

SUMMER BERRIES ON A CLOUD OF CHANTILLY CREAM

Steps:

• In a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, beat whipping cream until it begins to thicken.
• Add the liqueur, icing sugar, and extract, whipping constantly until soft peaks form. Do not over-beat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Right before serving, alternately layer the fresh berries with the Chantilly cream, and the cake cubes (if using) in dessert glasses or a trifle dish.
• Top with a dollop of whipped cream and a berry.
• Garnish with your choice of chocolate or lemon curls, sliced almonds or pink rose petals, as desired.

FRIED FRUIT WITH BAY LEAF SAUCE

Steps:

• Sauce (can be prepared in advance): mix all ingredients in a small pot. Heat on medium high heat and stir all the time. The mixture will thicken during heating to a temperature of about 175 F (80 C). It is important that during heating the mixture will constantly be stirred. Do not let the sauce boil. The sauce has the right conistency, if it builds a thick film on the backside of a tablespoon.
• Remove sauce from heat and stir for 2 minutes. Set aside and let cool down completely.
• Prepare berries: Wash small panicles of red currant and pat dry with paper towels. Wash grapes and cut into clusters of 3-5 berries.
• In a suited pot or deep fryer heat about 2 inches high oil for frying.
• Combine flour, sugar, ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon.
• Mix egg, milk and 1 tablespoon oil. Add to flour mixture and beat until smooth.
• Dip berries and sage leaves into batter.
• Fry berries in hot oil for about 1 minute or until batter is light golden brown. Fry sage leaves until batter is light golden brown and puffed up.
• Remove with slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.
• While still warm sprinkle the fired red currant berries and the sage leaves slightly with some sugar.
• Serve berries and sage leaves still warm with the cold bay leaf sauce.
• NOTE: You can replace the berries in this recipe against others of your choice, but use fresh ones. They should not be to sweet. Or choose a sweet and a more tart one.
• NOTE: I used fresh bay leaves. If you have no fresh leaves, you can use dried ones, but you may have to use more leaves. Try the sauce during heating and add more leaves to your taste. The sauce should have a delicate vanilla taste and additional notes.

SUMMER BERRIES WITH LEMON CREME FRAICHE

Steps:

• Place creme fraiche in a medium-size non-reactive bowl. Add sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice and whisk well to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, 1 hour or longer. (Lemon Creme Fraiche can be prepared 2 days ahead; keep covered and refrigerated.).
• Rinse berries and gently pat dry. If using strawberries, rinse first then hull and halve (or quarter, if large) lengthwise. Place berries in a large bowl and gently toss to combine.
• Divide berries among four wide-mouthed wine glasses, martini glasses or dessert bowls. Drizzle each serving with about 1/4 cup of Lemon Creme.

SUMMER BERRIES WITH BAY LEAF CUSTARD

Steps:

• Beat together the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until thick and pale, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer yolk mixture to a 2 to 3 quart heavy saucepan and stir in the milk, cream, and bay leaves. Cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and the mixture registers 175 F on an instant read thermometer. Do not let it boil. This should take approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
• Remove mixture from the heat and cool the custard to room temperature in pan, stirring frequently to prevent a skin from forming on the top, about 1 hour.
• Discard bay leaves and serve the custard over the mixed berries.