If you haven’t made custard from scratch before, now is your chance. It takes a bit of time and skill, but you will be pleased with yourself at the end. This recipe takes custard to a new higher level by infusing the liquid with toasted marzipan, which gives it an amazing roasted almond / marzipan depth. Serve it with a sponge, Little cherry Bakewell tarts (see here), or even add it to a trifle.
SERVES 4–6
unsalted butter, for the tray
150g marzipan, torn roughly into small pieces
400ml whole milk
200ml double cream
6 egg yolks (save the whites to make Meringues, see here)
25g granulated sugar
1 tbsp cornflour, sifted
Preheat the oven to 165°C/fan 145°F/gas mark 3. Butter a baking tray, line with baking parchment and spread over the marzipan. Toast in the oven for 10–12 minutes, or until golden brown.
Once toasted, put the marzipan in a saucepan with the milk and cream and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Blitz together using a hand-held blender; be careful, as it will be hot. Allow the creamy mixture to infuse for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight, in the fridge.
Pass through a fine sieve, discarding any lumps of marzipan, then return to the boil.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour, then pour half the hot marzipan milk over it, whisking as you go. (Doing it this way will reduce the risk of the egg overcooking.) Return the mix to the remaining marzipan milk, whisking continuously over a low heat until thickened and you can see steam rising from the surface; about 5 to 10 minutes should do it. Be patient and don’t let the custard boil or it will split.
(If your custard has split, here’s how to save it. Remove the pan quickly from the heat, placing the base in a bowl of iced water, and blitz the contents with a hand-held blender. Pass the custard through a sieve to remove any overcooked egg.)
Pass once more through a fine sieve to ensure a smooth, lump-free custard.
