The best part about going from winter to spring is that the grocery stores are full of late winter and early spring produce. And my favorite combination is blackberry and granny smith apples. The tart, the sweet, the crunch, the softness…..really, it is the fruit match made in heaven.
My kitchen is anything but quiet, especially on the weekends when everyone is home and hungry. With more time to tinker in the kitchen, and many hands there to help, we never miss an opportunity to bake something as a family that will keep us sweet all weekend long, and our favorite nibble is a quick twisted custard pastry. There are so many options with this recipe, but our favorite is a tart blackberry and Granny Smith apple blend that offers all the tang of a fresh Granny Smith apple and all the sweetness of a blackberry. This is the sort of pastry that gets better over time, but is just as irresistible right out of the oven. When we make it, we generally make 2-3 twists at a time and snack on them over the course of the weekend. The first time you make it, don’t be put off by the twisting, call it a ‘rustic’ wreath until you get the hang of it. Or skip the twist element all together and simply layer on the custard and fruit atop of a flat sheet of puff pastry for a simple variation.
While the fruit is the star of this dish, the homemade custard brings it all together. Homemade vanilla custard is a staple in our house, the possibilities are endless – add it to a bowl of roasted pears, serve it with glazed cherries, or simply eat it out of the bowl at midnight with a spoon…when no one is looking. The sweet cream plays so well with this twisted pastry that you won’t mind this extra step or the possibilities that left over custard bring.
Over the next few months I will be sharing more family recipes on The Stem, the food blog for Stemilt as part of their newly formed Kitchen Council. If you love stone fruit as much as I do, pop over and take a look, they have every recipe from sweet to savory and simple to sophisticated on their blog, plus tons of information on nutrition and their family farm story (a personal favorite). Check out my first post here. for the full recipe to this oh so yummy blackberry and apple custard twist, and get started on the custard by following classic pastry cream recipe below.
Custard Ingredients:
8 Medium egg yolks
2 ½ Cups of heavy cream
1 Vanilla Pod, halved and scraped
¼ Cup of cornstarch
½ Cup of white granulated sugar
Pinch of Salt
Custard Directions
Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
In a large heat proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until creamy, then add a spoonful of the dry mixture, one spoonful at a time, until the two bowls are combined.
Simmer the cream and vanilla for 5 minutes to warm it, then turn up the heat and cook for a further 2 minutes so that bubbles appear on the sides, taking care not to boil the cream.
Remove the cream from the heat, and slowly pour the cream into the egg batter, whisking continuously until the custard starts to thicken. Discard the vanilla pod.
Once combined, pour the custard through a metal sieve to smooth it out and remove any excess lumps. Cover tightly with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or until chilled.
Disclaimer: I am working in partnership with Steamily on a number of projects. All thoughts expressed are my own.