June 3 - Fresh Strawberries with Almond Crème Anglaise

There are few things I enjoy more than reading the Sunday NYTimes with a cup of good tea while sitting on my deck. This weekend I added some food to the mix, and it was a welcome addition. I’d gone to the store on Saturday and stocked up on all the ingredients needed to catch up on this recipe project, so there were fresh strawberries and cream sitting in my refrigerator when I went to grab some milk for my tea. I thought about the recipe and decided to whip it up for my Sunday breakfast.

As the kitchen filled with the comforting smell of toasted almonds, I separated the eggs. I used the shells to accomplish this task – I know that using your hands is easier, but I learned from my Dad to swish the yolk back and forth between the halved shells, and at this point, it’s instinct. I added the cream, milk, and sugar and whipped them all together. I was a little concerned about adding the mixture to the hot saucepan with the toasted almonds. While there was a moment of bubbling…okay, some would say boiling…when the mixture hit the pan, it quickly subsided and the rest of the recipe went as planned. I prepped the strawberries as the custard cooled and then layered the berries and cream in a small bowl and topped with some almonds.



The combination of ripe, sweet berries and creamy almondy sauce was perfect for eating on my deck chair while watching the birds in the trees, but it wasn’t really that filling. So I made some oatmeal and put the berries & cream on top. After finishing that bowl and drinking some more tea and doing a bit more newspaper reading, I was ready to tackle my to do list…and that’s the sign of a perfect weekend breakfast!


Fresh Strawberries with Almond Crème Anglaise
3/4 cup chopped almonds plus
1/2 cup lightly toasted slivered almonds
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
6 to 8 cups strawberries, washed, hulled and quartered

1. Put chopped almonds in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, shaking pan occasionally, until fragrant and beginning to toast, about 3 minutes.

2. Add milk, cream, sugar and egg yolks, and whisk well to combine. Cook, whisking almost constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil.

3. While sauce is still hot, strain it through a sieve and let cool a bit. To serve, put a cup of strawberries in each dish, drizzle with warm sauce and garnish with slivered almonds. Sauce will keep, tightly covered, in refrigerator for up to 3 days.