Vanilla Custard With Prunes Poached In Lemon Verbena And Maple Caramel Recipes

JULIA CHILD'S VANILLA CUSTARD RECIPE

Steps:

• 1. Heat the milk in a saucepan over a low heat until just simmering then remove from the heat. 2. In a large bowl, using an electric whisk, beat the egg yolks until smooth and then beat in the sugar. Beat until thick and pale. 3. Continue to beat the egg yolk mixture while carefully and very slowly pouring the boiling milk in. Do it in a slow stream to prevent the eggs from scrambling. 4. Beat the mixture until all of the milk has been poured in and the mixture is smooth. 5. Pour the custard back into the saucepan and place it back onto a low heat. 6. Stir continuously until the custard coats the back of your spoon, taking it off the heat before it reaching simmering point. 7. Once the custard coats the back of your spoon, remove from the heat and continue to whisk for a couple more minutes to help the custard cool down. 8. Pour the custard through a sieve and briefly stir through the vanilla extract.

VANILLA CUSTARD WITH PRUNES POACHED IN LEMON VERBENA AND MAPLE CARAMEL

Steps:

• Prepare an infusion with the lemon verbena or tea bags and 2 cups boiling water. Add the prunes and let soak overnight. Drain the prunes thoroughly and pat dry. Set aside.
• In a small, heavy saucepan, heat the maple syrup to 275 degree, watching carefully to make sure the sugar does not boil over. Remove from heat and whisk in cream and butter. Pour into 6 3-inch ramekins.
• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
• If using vanilla bean, bring milk and bean to a simmer in a heavy saucepan; remove from heat and let steep 10 minutes. Strain, and discard the vanilla bean. If using vanilla extract, heat the milk and stir in the vanilla.
• Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar and pour in the infused milk. Mix gently. Place 3 prunes in each ramekin and divide the custard among them. Place in a hot-water bath and bake for 45 minutes, or until custard is set. Chill 2 hours. Unmold onto individual serving plates and serve.

BASIC VANILLA CUSTARD

Steps:

• Have eggs ready in a bowl, and set aside where it will be within reach.
• Using a whisk, combine milk, sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan over medium heat on stovetop. Allow milk to scald (heat to the point when tiny bubbles form around edges of pan). Whisk occasionally to prevent cornstarch from clumping on bottom edges of pan.
• Remove milk mixture from heat, preferably to a burner that's turned off.
• Mix about 2 tablespoons of scalded milk mixture into eggs using whisk, then introduce eggs into milk mixture in a slow stream, whisking milk mixture constantly.
• Immediately return pan to heat and whisk gently until custard thickens, another two or three minutes. Do not allow to boil. (If you find that you have egg white strands in custard, feel free to pass it through a fine-mesh sieve into a different bowl now.)
• Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla.