Aunt Juanita's Fluffy Boiled Custard

Earlier this year, I was thrilled to be asked to write a short essay for Southern Living. Each author was to write about someone who had influenced their cooking. I immediately thought of my father's sister, Juanita, whom we all called "Aunt Wan." So I wrote the essay about how she taught me to cook in the 1960s. You can find it here.

Looking forward to the holiday season, I decided to share one of my favorite recipes from Aunt Wan. When she visited us at Christmas, this old-fashioned boiled custard was a special treat she made for Christmas dinner. I hope sharing this dessert with your family makes as many good memories as it did for me.

Aunt Juanita's Fluffy Boiled Custard

6 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat the egg yolks until they are thoroughly combined. Add the sugar and milk, and transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler. Set the mixture over barely simmering water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the custard coats the spoon. Remove the custard from the heat, wipe the bottom of the pan dry, stir in the vanilla extract, and set aside. Beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Fold the whites into the custard, stirring until just combined. Chill at least three hours, or overnight, before serving.

American Persimmon Frozen Yogurt

Our native persimmons are a treat most people have never experienced. Persimmons are available only for a short period in late autumn, and are highly perishable. As a result, you have to live near a persimmon tree in order to enjoy them.

Or know someone who does. I am lucky enough to know someone with connections to some of the finest, sweetest persimmons I have tasted. My friend's gift of a quart of them inspired me to devise this simple way to preserve their unique flavor for up to three months in the freezer.

Persimmon Frozen Yogurt

                This recipe makes 1 ½ cups of frozen yogurt. The recipe can be easily multiplied if you have many persimmons. For best results, when making a larger quantity, use an ice cream freezer to freeze the yogurt, rather than still-freezing as directed in the recipe. The key to still-frozen desserts is getting them to freeze as quickly as possible. Make sure all ingredients are thoroughly chilled before placing in the freezer. Choose a plastic storage container with a tight fitting lid. A shallow, rectangular container works best. If possible, choose one that will hold the yogurt mixture to a depth of ½ inch, with another ½ inch of headspace to allow for expansion. Freeze the yogurt uncovered, but cover the container after 12 hours to avoid drying out the frozen yogurt.

1 pound ripe persimmons, washed and stemmed

¼ teaspoon black peppercorns

¼ cup water

3 tablespoons sugar

¼ cup Greek-style yogurt, chilled

                 Process the persimmons in a food processor, then transfer to a sieve and press out the pulp with the back of a spoon. You should have ½ to ¾ cup of puree. Discard the skins and seeds. Place the puree in the refrigerator to chill while you continue with the recipe.

                Toast the peppercorns in a heavy skillet over high heat until they are fragrant and begin to smoke. Carefully transfer to a mortar and crack the peppercorns with the pestle. Place the peppercorns, water and sugar in a small saucepan. Set the pan over high heat, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced to ¼ cup, about 4 minutes.

                Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool to room temperature. Strain the cooled syrup through a fine sieve into a bowl and chill it.

                When the syrup is cold, combine it with the persimmon puree and the yogurt. Transfer the mixture to a suitable container and freeze overnight in the freezer.

The frozen yogurt is delicious with poached or baked pears, which are also in season now.