Vanilla Custard with Grand Marnier and Raspberries

While on my raspberry binge, I stumbled upon this recipe and just had to try it. It sounded so good! Alas, I'm lactose intolerant, so I couldn't enjoy this as much as I liked, but my family definitely did. This made for such pretty pictures too.

I had never made custard from scratch... My grandma used to make caramel custard (flan) when I was a kid and I remember being so impressed and loving it... then I found out she used a packet. Of course, I still love that she would make it for me, but I assumed it was too time-consuming or difficult to make the custard from scratch and never bothered to try it myself. I'm glad I did because it's so easy! And it's a great dessert to serve at a party. Cupcakes are fun and all, but this feels more elegant and classy :)

I'm not a big fan of alcohol, and now that I'm so into baking, whenever I see liquor, I think about it more in terms of incorporating it into desserts. I've never worked with Grand Marnier before, but it's wonderful. I can't wait to use it again. It's got a great subtle orange taste that works so well with vanilla custard. 

This serves only three, which was the perfect size, since I just made this on a lazy day at home. You can also make it in a giant pan but I liked using little bowls instead. I had 2 ramekins and a tart pan, so those worked out well for me.

Recipe (adapted from here):

1/2 pint raspberries

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk (I used 2% since that's all I had but whole would be recommended)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/5 tbs of Grand Marnier

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Mix the cream, milk, and vanilla in a saucepan until it just comes to a boil and then set aside. Place the eggs and sugar in a bowl and whisk well, adding the hot cream mixture, along with the liquor. Strain the mixture into the cups or dish you're using. Drop in the raspberries. Place the dishes into a water bath* and bake for 45 minutes or until just set. 

Let it sit out for a bit before serving. 

*I put the ramekins in a wide oven tray, and I filled the tray with some water. It helps to make sure the custard gets cooked evenly. 

The custard would have been a bit boring without the addition of liquor and especially raspberries but the possibilities for flavors are endless. The more I work with raspberries the more I like them, since their tartness are the perfect complement to the sweetness of desserts :)