Cracked Corn Custard with Vanilla Cake and Fruit Salsa
Chef Franck Guyot makes custard with hominy and coconut milk, then turns it into coconut-covered cakes. The custards are served atop slices of cake which have been spread with strawberry gelee. They are served with fruit salsa. You may use purchased cake or your own recipe for cake if you prefer.
Ingredients
- White Cake
- Flour - 1-1/2 cups
- Sugar - 1-1/2 cups
- Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon
- Egg Whites - 4
- Egg yolks - 4
- Oil - 1/2 cup
- Water - 1/2 cup
- Cracked Corn Custard
- Unsalted Butter - 3 tablespoons, at room temperature
- Hominy - 1/2 cup
- Coconut milk
- Milk - 1/2 cup
- Sugar - 1/2 cup
- Vanilla bean - 1
- Egg Yolks - 3
- Fruit Salsa
- Strawberries - 1 pint, hulled and cut in 1/4-inch dice
- Peaches - 2, pitted and cut in 1/4-inch dice
- Candied jalapenos - 2 tablespoons, minced (optional)
- Sugar - 4 tablespoons
- Raspberry liqueur - 2 tablespoons
- Mint sprig - 1, stemmed and minced
- Strawberry Gelee
- Strawberries - 1/2 pint, hulled and pureed
- Light Corn Syrup - 1/2 pint
- Flaked coconut - 2 cups, toasted
- Simple Syrup - 1/4 cup
- Strawberries - 4 large, hulled and split in half
Instructions
To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter and flour an 8-inch cake pan. Sift the flour, 1 cup of the sugar, and baking powder together into a bowl. Put the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed until foamy. Increase the speed to high and slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Beat to soft peaks. In a small bowl, whip the egg yolks, oil, and water until foamy and pale in color. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and blend. Fold in the beaten egg white. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool 15 to 20 minutes; turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into four 4-inch round slices.
To make the custard: Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat and stir in the hominy until coated. Add the coconut milk, milk, and sugar and stir. Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the mixture with the tip of a sharp knife, then drop in the pods. Let the mixture come to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook 10 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean pods. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks until broken up. Whisk a large spoonful of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks to temper, then whisk the egg yolks into the milk mixture. Cook for two minutes, stirring slowly with a whisk. Stir in the remaining butter. The mixture will be thick. Pour into a 9-inch pie pan and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
To make the salsa: Toss all ingredients together. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to macerate for 2 hours.
To make the gelee: In a heavy saucepan, combine the strawberries and corn syrup. Cook over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens. Remove and let cool.
To serve: Spread the coconut on plastic wrap or waxed paper on a work surface. Make four scoops of the chilled custard and roll them in the coconut, pressing each into a 4-inch patty as you work. Brush a small dab of syrup in the center of each plate and anchor a circle of cake in each. Brush the cakes with simple syrup and spread the gelee over the top. Place a coconut-covered custard patty on each. Spoon fruit salsa around the plate. Overlap two strawberry halves on top of each custard.
