Wine Custard Food

WINE CUSTARD

Steps:

• Place all ingredients in a double boiler and set over (but not touching) boiling water.
• Cook, beating mixture constantly and vigorously with a wire whisk, until custard thickens, about 10 minutes.
• Refrigerate and serve cool.
• Enjoy!

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.

SWEET-WINE CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• For crust
• Combine flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Blend in enough water by tablespoons to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. trim overhang to 1/2 inch (reserve dough scraps). Fold overhang in; press dough firmly to create double-thick sides. Freeze crust 10 minutes.
• Line crust with foil. Fill crust with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until crust sets, about 25 minutes. Remove foil and beans and bake crust until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer crust to rack and cool completely. Gently cover any cracks in crust with small bits of reserved dough and press lightly to smooth. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
• For Filling:
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix sugar and cornstarch in medium bowl. Add 3 eggs, whipping cream and dessert wine and whisk until filling is well blended. Place crust on baking sheet. Pour filling into crust. Bake until filling sets and top browns, about 20 minutes. Transfer tart to rack and cool 15 minutes.
• Remove tart pan sides. Transfer tart to platter. Serve tart warm.

WINE GELATIN WITH CUSTARD

Steps:

• WINE GELATIN: In a 2-quart bowl add 1 cup cold water.
• Sprinkle gelatin over water and stir to soften and slightly dissolve gelatin.
• To a measuring cup, add lemon juice and enough water to make 2 cups and add sugar, and heat until sugar is dissolved.
• Pour mixture over gelatin.
• Add port wine.
• If you want a little more color, add a drop of red food coloring.
• Stir to mix well and pour into and 8x8-inch glass baking dish.
• Cover and chill.
• Before serving, cut into 3/4-inch cubes by cutting it as a checkerboard.
• Using a spatula, release cubes from sides and bottom of glass dish.
• NOTE: Amount of sugar for gelatin mixture will be determined by the sweetness of wine.
• CUSTARD: In saucepan, mix sugar and flour together, stirring to mix well.
• Stir milk and eggs together.
• Gradually pour egg mixture into sugar mixture, stirring well.
• Heat mixture over medium-high heat, constantly stirring with a whisk until it thickens enough to coat a spoon, about 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
• Cool slightly or chill.
• TO SERVE: Spoon cubes of Wine Gelatin in stemmed glasses.
• Spoon Custard on top and sprinkle with nutmeg.

LEMON AND WINE CUSTARD

Steps:

• Beat yolks, wine, lemon juice and sugar in double-boiler set over gently-simmering water until thick and light in colour, about 15 minutes.
• Remove from over water and cool slightly.
• Pour into parfait glasses and serve chilled.

HOMEMADE CUSTARD

Steps:

• Put the cream and milk into a large pan and gently bring to just below boiling point. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the yolks, cornflour, sugar and vanilla. Gradually pour the hot milk mixture onto the sugar mixture, whisking constantly.
• Wipe out the saucepan and pour the mixture back into it. Heat gently, stirring with a wooden spoon (see Steps 1 and 2, for stirring tips) until the custard is thickened, but before any lumps form. Eat hot or cold.