Summer Berries With Bay Leaf Custard Recipes

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.

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.

PEAR & BLACKBERRY CRUMBLE WITH BAY LEAF CUSTARD

Steps:

• First, make the custard. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl until just broken up - they shouldn't be frothy. Pour the milk and sugar into a saucepan and warm over a low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar, until almost boiling. Add the bay leaves, remove from the heat, and leave to infuse for 10 mins. If the milk mixture has cooled after this time, briefly warm it up again until just steaming, then remove from the heat. Discard the bay leaves and pour a little of the mixture into the whisked egg yolks. Whisk in the splash of milk, then pour the yolk mixture into the milk pan, whisking continuously to combine. Cook over a low-medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, and silky smooth. Strain through a sieve and set aside. The custard can be served warm or cold - you can chill it at this stage, or set aside to reheat later.
• For the crumble topping, combine the flour, sugar, oats, pumpkin seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, spices and a pinch of salt in a bowl, then pour over the butter. Mix well. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Butter a large ceramic baking dish. Combine the pears, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and knob of butter in a medium pan, then set over a low heat. Cook for 4-5 mins, gently stirring, until the pears have released some juice and are slightly softened, but not falling apart. Remove from the heat and tip into the dish along with half the cooking juices released into the pan. Dot the blackberries among the filling.
• Scatter the crumble topping all over the filling, then bake for 25-30 mins until golden, crisp and bubbling at the edges. Leave to stand for 10 mins before serving with the custard, alongside the remaining pan juices.