Treat these fruits easily but elegantly with two sauces -- a creamy custard and a smooth simple raspberry sauce.
- Portion size 20 servings
Ingredients
Cream Custard Sauce:
Raspberry Sauce:
Method
To prepare fruit: Rinse strawberries briefly; let dry in single layer on paper towels. Hull and slice in half lengthwise. Transfer to bowl and sprinkle with sugar and vanilla; mix gently.
Peel, halve and stone peaches. Cut into neat thick wedges. In large container, gently combine slices with sugar, vanilla and, if preparing in advance, lemon juice (1/4 tsp/1 mL for every 4 cups/1 L of fruit). Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
Before serving, place fruit in large glass bowl and encircle with mint sprigs. Invite guests to serve themselves and top fruit with one or both sauces. Alternatively, pour about 1/2 cup (125 mL) custard sauce in bottom of shallow soup bowl; mound strawberries or peach slices in middle and drizzle with about 2 tbsp (25 mL) Raspberry Sauce. Garnish with sprig of mint.
Raspberry Sauce: In food mill using fine disc, puree raspberries and remove seeds. (Alternatively, press berries through sieve.) In bowl, blend together puree, sugar, lemon juice and framboise. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You can substitute one 20 oz (567 g) pkg frozen unsweetened raspberries for the fresh. Thaw before pureeing.
Cream Custard Sauce: In top of double boiler or heavy saucepan, blend together sugar, cornstarch and salt. Blend in milk and cream; cook over medium-low heat, whisking almost constantly until steaming and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
In large bowl, whisk egg yolks; beat in about a quarter of hot milk mixture into yolks. Pour back into hot milk mixture and cook over simmering water or very low heat, stirring almost constantly, for 5 to 8 minutes or until custard is smooth and thick enough to coat back of spoon. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and strain into bowl. Let cool, stirring frequently. Cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Transfer both sauces to 2 large plastic juice containers to transport to party.
