Vanilla Bean Custard With Sour Cherry Sauce Food

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.

VANILLA BEAN CUSTARD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place an oven rack one-third of the way up from the bottom. Choose a small roasting pan large enough to hold four 6-ounce custard cups, and fill it with enough water to go halfway up the sides of cups. Place pan without cups in the oven. Meanwhile, combine cream, milk, and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan; bring to boil.
• Whisk together the yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Slowly whisk in the hot milk until completely combined, then pour into custard cups, and place them in the pan of hot water. Bake on the lower shelf until the custard has set and is no longer liquid when lightly touched in the center, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove pan from the oven, remove custard cups from the water, and place on a wire rack to cool. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

VANILLA CUSTARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and salt until well combined.
• Pour milk into a heavy-bottomed, nonreactive saucepan. If using the vanilla bean, scrape seeds from pod halves into the milk using the tip of a knife. Add pod halves. Place over medium heat until small bubbles appear around the edges of the pan.
• Remove from heat and slowly pour milk mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula, until slightly thickened and coats the back of the spatula, about 5 minutes. Pour into a medium bowl and set bowl in ice water bath. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Stir in vanilla extract, if using.
• Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl, cover, and refrigerate until serving.

VANILLA BEAN CUSTARD WITH SOUR CHERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F Heat milk to a low simmer in a small saucepan. Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, sugar and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Gradually whisk hot milk into egg mixture. Stir in vanilla and Kirschwasser.
• Pour custard mixture into 6 ramekins. Place ramekins in a large baking pan, and fill baking pan with water almost to ramekins' rims. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until custards are set but still quivery when shaken. Let cool, then shake on chocolate sprinkles. Garnish also with mint leaves and fresh cherries if desired.
• For a pretty presentation, ladle Sour Cherry Sauce onto 6 dessert plates, dividing evenly. Place a ramekin in center of each. Place whipped cream in a zippered plastic bag, and snip a corner to make a piping bag. Pipe dots around each plate, and drag a toothpick through dots, making them into hearts.
• For Sour Cherry Sauce: Place sour cherries, sugar and cinnamon in a blender and puree until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher before dividing among plates.

RED WINE POACHED PEARS WITH VANILLA BEAN CUSTARD

Steps:

• For the pears: Remove a large strip of peel from the lemon and set aside. Squeeze the juice of the lemon into a medium bowl filled with water. Peel, halve and core the pears, adding the pears to the lemon water as you work (this will prevent them from browning).
• Combine the wine, sugar, vanilla, cloves, cinnamon stick and reserved lemon peel in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar dissolves.
• Remove the pears from the lemon water and add to the wine mixture. Boil the pears until tender, 8 to 10 minutes on each side. Remove the pears from the poaching liquid to a wire rack to cool. If desired, continue to boil the poaching liquid until syrupy, about 10 minutes.
• For the vanilla bean custard sauce: Combine the cream and milk in a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add to the cream mixture along with the scraped bean. Place over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges, then remove from the heat and remove the vanilla bean.
• Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until combined. Gradually add a little of the hot cream mixture, whisking constantly until combined. Gradually add the remaining cream, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 6 minutes. Remove the custard from the saucepan and cool slightly.
• To serve, spoon some of the custard sauce onto serving plates and top each with a pear half. Dollop with whipped cream and sprinkle with candied pecans, if desired.

SOUR-CHERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the cherries, sugar and cinnamon in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in the vinegar. Place the cornstarch in a small bowl and stir in the water until smooth. Add to the sauce and cook until sauce begins to thicken, about 2 minutes longer. Strain. Serve over vanilla ice cream, poundcake or poached pears.

CHERRY-VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM WITH CHERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Make sauce:
• Combine cherries and sugar in heavy large saucepan; toss to coat. Let stand until juices form, about 2 hours. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid thickens slightly, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat; mix in brandy. Transfer 1 cup cherry mixture to small bowl; reserve for use in ice cream. Mix preserves into remaining cherry mixture in saucepan; reserve for sauce. Chill both cherry mixtures separately at least 2 hours. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
• Make ice cream:
• Pour half and half into heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to boil. Remove from heat; steep 30 minutes. Whisk sugar and yolks in medium bowl to blend well. Bring half and half to simmer. Gradually whisk hot half and half into yolk mixture. Return mixture to same saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 4 minutes (do not boil). Remove from heat. Mix in whipping cream and vanilla. Refrigerate until cold, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours.
• Using ice cream maker, process custard until almost firm, following manufacturer's instructions; add reserved 1 cup cherry mixture. Process until ice cream firms, about 15 minutes longer. Transfer to container; cover and freeze. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep frozen.)
• Scoop ice cream into bowls. Top with reserved sauce and serve.

VANILLA CUSTARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Place whipping cream in heavy medium saucepan.
• Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean: add pod.
• Bring cream to a simmer.
• Whisk egg yolks and sugar in medium metal bowl to blend.
• Gradually whisk in hot cream mixture.
• Return mixture to saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and finger leave path when drawn across the back of a spoon, about 4 minutes (DO NOT BOIL).
• Strain.
• Cover and refrigerate custard sauce until cold, about 3 hours.
• Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.

VANILLA CUSTARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Whisk egg yolks and sugar in medium bowl until well blended, about 2 minutes. Bring milk and vanilla bean to boil in heavy medium saucepan; gradually whisk into yolk mixture. Return custard to saucepan and stir over medium heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 4 minutes (do not boil). Transfer to bowl. Cover and refrigerate until cold. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

VANILLA CUSTARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Place half and half in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep 30 minutes.
• Whisk yolks and sugar in medium bowl until thick. Whisk half and half with vanilla bean into yolk mixture 1 TBLS at a time until the eggs warm up to prevent cooking. Return mixture to same saucepan. Stir custard over low heat until thickened enough to leave path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 6 minutes (do not boil). Pour into bowl. Chill uncovered until cold, about 2 hours. Then cover and chill until you use it, can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Remove vanilla bean before using - you can rinse dry it and add it to a jar of sugar for vanilla sugar.
• Note - some people like warm custard sauce over cake - just cool to your prefered temp and frig any leftovers.

VANILLA CUSTARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Place half and half in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep 30 minutes.
• Whisk yolks and sugar in medium bowl until thick. Gradually whisk half and half with vanilla bean into yolk mixture. Return mixture to same saucepan. Stir custard over low heat until thickened enough to leave path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 6 minutes (do not boil). Pour into bowl. Chill uncovered until cold, at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Discard vanilla bean before using.