A Breathtaking Chocolate Custard Topped With a Berry Bounty

The last of the summer berries are in supermarkets across the country. Blackberry season is the denouement of summer eating, and this week NUVO brings you a delicious way to incorporate the final berry bounty into a dish featuring our favourite year-round treat: chocolate. Temper Chocolate and Pastry owner and pastry chef Steve Hodge has developed a delectable chocolate custard to serve as a base for all those blackberries you’ve been picking. Summer has never tasted so sweet.

Makes: Four 8-ounce cups

Ingredients

For the macerated blackberries:

1 cup fresh blackberries

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

For the custard:

200 millilitres whole milk

200 millilitres heavy cream

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar

3.5 ounces (100 grams) milk chocolate, chopped

For the whipped cream:

250 millilitres heavy cream

Method

For the macerated blackberries:
In a bowl, combine the blackberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Toss together to fully incorporate. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.

For the custard:

In a pot, combine the milk and cream. Simmer over medium heat.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, yolk, and sugar, and whisk together.

Take the warm milk mixture and temper into the egg mixture. Pour half the milk mixture into the eggs, then whisk and pour back into the pot with the milk. Place back on the heat and cook the mixture, making sure to whisk  continually so you do not burn the mixture.

Whisk until the custard becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

In a large bowl, strain the mixture over the chocolate and stir to fully melt the chocolate.

Pour the mixture into 8-ounce heatproof cups. Place into a deep-dish baking pan and fill the pan with enough water to cover half the cups. Cover with foil, place in an oven preheated to 325°F, and bake for 30 minutes. At 20 minutes check the custards to see if they are set.

Once set, remove from the oven and transfer individual cups onto a tray. Place in the fridge to set, about 2 hours.

When ready to serve, use a whisk to whip the cream to medium peaks and spoon a dollop on each serving along with a spoonful of the macerated blackberries.