HONEY CUSTARD CUPS WITH BLUEBERRY COMPOTE
Serves: 6
For the custard:
■ 2 cups (500 ml) whole milk
■ 2 large eggs
■ 1 large egg yolk
■ 1/4 cup (60 ml) honey
■ 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract 1 pinch kosher salt
For the compote:
■ 1 cup (250 ml) blueberries,
fresh or frozen
■ 2 tbsp (30 ml) honey
■ 1/8 tsp (0.5 ml) ground cardamom (see note)
1. For the custard: Position a baking rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 F (160 C).
2. Meanwhile, bring a kettle of water to a boil on the stove, and place a clean kitchen towel on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking dish.
3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk until very hot but not boiling. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, egg yolk, honey, vanilla and salt.
4. Discard any skin on the top of the hot milk. Whisk about 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the milk into the egg mixture to temper the egg, then gradually whisk in the rest of the milk.
5. Pour the mixture into six (6-oz/170 g) ovenproof custard cups or ramekins. Place the ramekins into the baking dish on top of the towel. Position the cups so they are not touching each other or the sides of the pan.
6. Place the baking dish onto a rack in the middle of the oven
(it prevents the ramekins from moving) and pour hot water into the pan around the cups so it comes a little more than halfway up the sides of the cups.
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the custards are set and the tops are golden, but the custard still jiggles a little in the centre when you gently shake the pan.
8. Remove the custard cups from the water bath and let cool for 30 minutes before serving.
9. For the compote: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, honey and cardamom and cook, stirring frequently, until the berries begin to burst, about 6 minutes.
10. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. The compote will thicken as it cools.
11. Serve the compote slightly warm or refrigerate for up to a week in an airtight container.
12. Serve the slightly warm custard topped with the warmed blueberry compote, or chill both the custards and the compote and serve cold.
Note: Use ground cinnamon if you don’t have cardamom. The custard and the compote can be refrigerated, tightly covered, for up to 4 days.