Summer Fruit Gratin
I’m often guilty of posting complicated recipes on this blog (as i was kindly reminded by the lovely@Ryanthegirl at the Foodbuzz bash at Fishtail last night *) so today in attempt to redeem myself and celebrate summer you’re getting fruit and custard and that’s it. I did grate some lime zest over the gratin for the extra fancy touch but that’s easy enough. Now I don’t want to hear any whining in the comments, and no calls for foams or sodium alginate or anti-griddle.
I let you play with fire though as this recipe requires you to use the broiler to make the magic happen. You could also use a crème brûlée torch but i have to warn you that third degree burns would make this dessert not as enjoyable, so be careful. And it’s not because i included a fire extinguisher in the list of ingredients that you should feel like you have to use it. It’s a joke for chrissake!!
Now that i freaked you out let me tell you what’s the reward for your bravery. You get summer berries at the height of their goodness surrendering their concentrated juices to that intense heat, all that Jazz gets combined with a sweet custard lightly caramelized on top. The Grand-Marnier in the custard and the lime zest provide the extra zing. And if zing isn’t a word ..er.. well it should be! Just like a snugget. A crossover between a snuggle and a nugget.. WTH!?
Now isn’t it a nice reward for a dessert that, with poor supervision, has the potential to burn down half of your neighborhood?
* Met up with a bunch of super nice local bloggers last night at an event at David Burke’sFishtail restaurant organized byFoodbuzz and sponsored by Visa signature. Here’s a list of some of the bloggers present starting with High/Low/Food/Drinks who wrote a nice post about the evening. Go check ’em out.
- Blondie & Brownie
- No Recipes
- The pink spoon
- Taste as you Go
- Hartley Confections
- Midtown Lunch
- Chez What?
- Foodie in denial
- Little girl / big appetite
- NYC nom nom
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Summer Fruit Gratin
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- Serves 4
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For the custard:
- 1 1/2 cup whole milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tablespoon Grand-Marnier
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For the fruit:
- 3 cups of mixed summer fruits
- sugar to taste
- zest of 1 lime
- 1 fire extinguisher (optional)
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- Bring the milk to a boil. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and whisk in the cornstarch. Slowly whisk in the hot milk. Return mixture to the fire and cook until it thickens to a pudding consistency. Stir in butter, salt and Grand-Marnier. Transfer mixture to a bowl, cover with film and cool in refrigerator. When it’s cool, whisk in the sour cream.
- When ready to serve, preheat the broiler. Or use a torch.
- Toss the fruits in a little bit of sugar and arrange on gratin dishes. Spoon the custard over the fruit and sprinkle with more sugar. Broil to a caramelized golden brown color and bubbly. Be careful, it’ll be very hot. Grate some lemon zest over the top and serve immediately.