Brandied Custard Recipes

Steps:

• In a 2-quarter saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, and cornstarch and cook until thickened (or microwave for 5 to 7 minutes).
• Add ¼ of the hot milk mixture to the beaten eggs and blend well.
• Add the egg mixture to the remaining hot milk mixture in the saucepan and add stir over medium heat (or microwave for 2 minutes or until thick). Remove pan from heat; stir in the brandy (if using) and vanilla. Chill completely.
• For use as a crepe filling - Recipe makes enough filling for 10 crepes. Place 3 tablespoons of custard in the center of each crepe. Add about 1/3 cup of sliced strawberries, if you wish. Then gently roll each crepe and place on a plate. Top each crepe with whipping cream and fresh strawberries.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• For the peaches: Over high heat, in a saute pan, heat the butter. When the butter is hot add the sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the peaches and saute for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the sugar starts to turn dark amber in color. Incorporate the brandy into the peach mixture. Carefully ignite the brandy and flambe the peaches. Remove from heat and allow to cool, about 10 minutes.
• For the custard: In a mixing bowl, whisk all the ingredients together until fully incorporated. In an unbaked pie crust, spoon the brandied peaches over the pie crust. Place the crust in the oven and pour the custard into the shells. This prevents spilling the custard in the oven. Bake for 1 hour or until the custard sets. Place foil around the crust for the first 30 minutes and then remove. This keeps the crust from getting too brown. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes. Place a slice of the pie on the plate and garnish with powder sugar, whipped cream, and fresh mint.
• For the crust: In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Add the shortening and work it through with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and work it in with your hands until you have a smooth ball of dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured surface. This recipe will make two pie crusts.
• For the individual crust: Divide the dough into fourths. Roll out the dough on the floured surface into a circle about 5 inches in diameter and 1/8-thick.
• For the whole pie crust: Roll out the dough on the floured surface into a circle about 14 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick. Gently fold the circles of dough in half and then in half again so that you can lift it without tearing it, and unfold into a 9-inch pie pan.

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together cream and milk with 2 tablespoons sugar, vanilla bean pod and pulp.
• In a bowl, whisk egg yolks with remaining sugar. When cream heats to just below a simmer, drizzle half of it into egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Add yolk mixture back into saucepan, whisking constantly.
• Cook sauce over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it is thick enough to coat back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Strain mixture into a bowl and stir in brandy. Serve warm or cold over baked apples, garnished with nutmeg.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Mix one-half cup of sugar with the water in a heavy saucepan, preferably nonstick. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar has dissolved and turns a rich amber color. Pour the caramel into the bottom of a four- to five-cup baking dish, tilting the dish so the caramel coats the bottom evenly.
• Beat the eggs and egg yolks together. Beat in the remaining onehalf-cup sugar, the nutmeg and cardamom. Stir in three tablespoons of the brandy, the milk and cream. Pour the mixture into the baking dish, place in the oven and bake 20 minutes.
• While the custard is baking, mix the remaining tablespoon of brandy with the raisins. After the custard has baked for 20 to 25 minutes, scatter the brandied raisins over the top of the custard. They will sink in.
• Continue baking the custard 15 to 20 minutes longer, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Allow the custard to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least six hours or overnight. To unmold, run a knife around the edges and unmold onto a plate that has a rim to catch the caramel syrup.

Steps:

• Fill large bowl with ice water. Whisk eggs and 1/3 cup sugar in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until thermometer registers 160°F, about 10 minutes. Set custard over bowl of ice water and whisk until cool. Mix in brandy. Whisk mascarpone in another large bowl to loosen. Fold in custard. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to simmer in medium saucepan. Add 1 cup sugar and espresso powder; whisk until sugar dissolves. Mix in cream. Refrigerate until cold. Submerge 3 cookies in chilled espresso-cream mixture for 5 seconds. Place cookies on bottom of 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Working in batches, repeat with enough remaining cookies to just cover bottom of dish. Spread half of mascarpone mixture over cookies. Repeat soaking process with remaining cookies, placing them in single layer atop mascarpone mixture. Spread remaining mascarpone mixture over cookies. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
• Whisk cocoa and powdered sugar in small bowl to blend. Sift sweetened cocoa over top of dessert. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
• *Available at Italian markets and many supermarkets.
• **Available at Italian markets and some supermarkets.

Steps:

• 22 graham crackers, rolled fine 1/3 c. sugar 1/4 c. butter 3 eggs, well beaten 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese 1 tsp. vanilla 1/3 c. white sugar the fruit from the Brandied fruit starter or 1 qt. fresh blueberries ( 1 can pie filling [blueberry, cherry or peach] or try 1 qt. fresh strawberries) Whipping cream (for serving) FOR CANNED PIE FILLINGS: 1 tbsp. lemon juice (only) FOR BRANDIED FRUIT or FRESH BERRIES: 2 tbsp. cornstarch 1 c. water 1 tbsp. lemon juice 1/2 c. sugar Blend the 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 cup butter with the crushed graham cracker crumbs. Pat this mixture firmly in bottom of 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Beat together until creamy the cream cheese with beaten eggs, 1/3 cup sugar and vanilla. Pour over crumb mixture and bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned on edges and center nearly set. Cool. If using canned pie filling, mix lemon juice with it before adding to cool custard. Then chill about 8 hours before serving cold with sweetened whipped cream.
• FOR CANNED PIE FILLINGS: 1 tbsp. lemon juice (only) FOR BRANDIED FRUIT or FRESH BERRIES: 2 tbsp. cornstarch 1 c. water 1 tbsp. lemon juice 1/2 c. sugar For fresh berry filling, sort out 2 cups or less of poorest looking or least ripe berries, stem or clean them and crush with potato masher in small saucepan. Add cornstarch, water and sugar, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice. Cool only slightly before adding the rest of the cleaned berries. (If using strawberries, cut most of any larger ones into smaller slices.) Add the combined berry mixture carefully over cooled custard layer. Chill several hours before serving cold with sweetened whipped cream. Serves 12 to 15.

Steps:

• Put yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until mixture is pale and thick, 2 to 3 minutes. On low speed, beat in flour and salt. Gradually beat in half of warm milk.
• Pour milk-yolk mixture into remaining milk in pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl.
• Transfer to an ice-water bath; let cool, stirring occasionally. Stir in vanilla and brandy. Place plastic wrap on surface. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 3 days.
• Beat cream just until stiff peaks form. Fold into pastry cream. Place 7 ladyfinger halves at bottom of a 12-cup trifle dish; spread with one quarter of jam. Pour in one quarter of sherry. Spoon one quarter pastry cream on top. Sprinkle with one-third each almonds and amaretti. Repeat layering 3 more times (last layer does not need almonds and amaretti). Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.