Desserts

Creamy Fruit Dessert with Berries and Toasted Nuts

vigor·
Christmas Dessert Without Baking
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To fold in:

  • 200 ml (generous 3/4 cup) very cold heavy cream / double cream
  • 150 g (about 1 cup) strawberries or mixed berries, chopped
  • 100 g (3/4 cup) almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts, roughly chopped
  • 100 g (about 1 cup crumbs) plain cookies, roughly crumbled — optional

For the topping:

  • A handful of fresh fruit
  • 2 tbsp chopped nuts
  • 20 g (2 tbsp) grated white chocolate — optional

Instructions

Step 1: Mix the custard base

Put the egg yolks in a medium saucepan, off the heat. Add the sugar, the vanilla sugar and the salt, and whisk until the mixture turns pale.

Whisk in the cornstarch until there are no lumps at all. Lumps here will still be there at the end, so take the extra thirty seconds.

Step 2: Add the milk slowly

Pour in the milk in a thin stream while you keep whisking. Going slowly at the start is what keeps the base smooth.

Once all the milk is in, the mixture should look thin and completely even.

Step 3: Cook until thick

Set the pan over medium heat and stir constantly, reaching into the corners. After 5 to 8 minutes the mixture thickens suddenly — keep stirring through that moment.

Because this custard contains egg yolks, cook it to 160°F (71°C). That is the safe minimum internal temperature FoodSafety.gov lists for egg dishes, and a thermometer is the only reliable way to check. The custard will look thick and glossy at that point.

Step 4: Cool the custard completely

Pour the custard into a clean bowl. Press cling film directly onto the surface so it touches everywhere — that is what stops a skin forming.

Let it cool on the counter for about 30 minutes, then move it to the fridge until it is cold. Warm custard will melt your whipped cream.

Step 5: Prepare the fruit and nuts

Wash the fruit, pat it dry and cut it into small even pieces. Small berries can stay whole.

Chop the nuts roughly — pieces, not powder, or you lose the crunch. Toast them in a dry pan for 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat if you want more flavour, then let them cool before they go anywhere near the cream.

Step 6: Whip the cream and fold

Whip the very cold cream to soft-to-firm peaks. Stop as soon as it holds its shape.

Add the whipped cream to the cold custard in three batches, folding with a spatula from the bottom up. Short, gentle strokes keep the air in. Stop the moment it looks even.

Step 7: Add the fruit, fill and chill

Fold in the fruit, most of the nuts and the crumbled cookies if you are using them. Keep a little of each back for the top.

Spoon the mixture into a 2-litre glass bowl or into six glasses, smooth the surface, cover, and chill for at least 4 hours. Overnight is better. Decorate just before serving so the nuts stay crisp.

Nutritional Information

Per serving, based on 6 servings and the ingredients listed, without the optional cookies and white chocolate. These are estimates, not lab values.

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Creamy Fruit Dessert with Berries and Toasted Nuts

Recipe

Creamy Fruit Dessert with Berries and Toasted Nuts

Be the first to rate this recipe!
Prep25 mins
Cook8 mins
Total4 hrs 33 mins
Servings6
Calories380 kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Mix the custard base. Put the egg yolks in a medium saucepan, off the heat. Add the sugar, the vanilla sugar and the salt, and whisk until the mixture turns pale. Whisk in the cornstarch until there are no lumps at all. Lumps here will still be there at the end, so take the extra thirty seconds.
  2. Add the milk slowly. Pour in the milk in a thin stream while you keep whisking. Going slowly at the start is what keeps the base smooth. Once all the milk is in, the mixture should look thin and completely even.
  3. Cook until thick. Set the pan over medium heat and stir constantly, reaching into the corners. After 5 to 8 minutes the mixture thickens suddenly — keep stirring through that moment. Because this custard contains egg yolks, cook it to 160°F (71°C). That is the safe minimum internal temperature FoodSafety.gov lists for egg dishes, and a thermometer is the only reliable way to check. The custard will look thick and glossy at that point.
  4. Cool the custard completely. Pour the custard into a clean bowl. Press cling film directly onto the surface so it touches everywhere — that is what stops a skin forming. Let it cool on the counter for about 30 minutes, then move it to the fridge until it is cold. Warm custard will melt your whipped cream.
  5. Prepare the fruit and nuts. Wash the fruit, pat it dry and cut it into small even pieces. Small berries can stay whole. Chop the nuts roughly — pieces, not powder, or you lose the crunch. Toast them in a dry pan for 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat if you want more flavour, then let them cool before they go anywhere near the cream.
  6. Whip the cream and fold. Whip the very cold cream to soft-to-firm peaks. Stop as soon as it holds its shape. Add the whipped cream to the cold custard in three batches, folding with a spatula from the bottom up. Short, gentle strokes keep the air in. Stop the moment it looks even.
  7. Add the fruit, fill and chill. Fold in the fruit, most of the nuts and the crumbled cookies if you are using them. Keep a little of each back for the top. Spoon the mixture into a 2-litre glass bowl or into six glasses, smooth the surface, cover, and chill for at least 4 hours. Overnight is better. Decorate just before serving so the nuts stay crisp.

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