Fresh fruit with custard sauce

A taste of summer all year ‘round!

This lovely and easy dessert is the perfect sweet finish for just about any meal. You can use any combination of fruit you like; in summer I always gravitate to fresh peaches and wild blueberries, switching to strawberries, raspberries and/or blackberries when the former are no longer available. I have yet to try it with frozen fruit but I think it would be just as tasty, albeit with a slightly different texture. Because the custard can be made days in advance and the fruit prepped several hours before serving, it’s super quick to serve up this tasty treat and it’s also very portable for picnics. Regardless of the fruit I choose, this dish reminds me most melted ice cream, in the most delicious of ways.

Ingredients

Fruit:

• 3 cups fresh fruit; washed, patted dry and halved or quartered as needed for bite-sized pieces
• 1 tablespoon (12.5 g) granulated sugar

Custard:

• 3 tablespoons (37.5 g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) light (10%) cream
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) milk
• 2 egg yolks (reserve whites for another use like pavlova)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

• At least one hour or up to 8 hours in advance of serving time, prepare fruit and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and stir very gently. Cover and refrigerate.
• Next, prepare the custard sauce, making sure you have enough time to chill it before serving. Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a heavy, small saucepan. Whisk in cream and milk; cook over medium-low heat, whisking almost constantly, until hot but not boiling.
• While cream mixture is heating, whisk the egg yolks in a medium sized bowl or glass measure.
• Slowly pour 1/4 cup (60 mL) of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Add a second quarter-cup of hot cream, whisking again. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and continue to cook on low heat, whisking almost constantly, until mixture is smooth and thickened enough to coat the back of a metal spoon (6-8 minutes).
• Remove pan from heat and whisk in vanilla. Pour the custard through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl or canning jar. Let cool 30 minutes then stir and cover bowl or jar. Refrigerate for up to 72 hours.
• When ready to assemble dessert, stir the custard sauce again. Spoon fruit into 4 serving vessels (dessert bowls, champagne coupes, etc.). Pour custard over fruit then add a few more berries to garnish. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 generous servings; recipe can easily be multiplied.