The final recipe for the ancient holiday dinner menu is a dessert that stands the test of time. Presenting in a very lovely manner, the hazel-walnut honey custard is the perfect dessert that represents the ancient world and satisfies modern sensibilities. Nutty, sweetened with honey, visually pleasing and, of course, easy to prepare, make this dessert a part of whatever holiday menu you might choose.

You’ll notice, of course, that this dessert is sweetened with honey. For the ancient Greeks honey was considered the food of the Gods. Praised by Homer in the Iliad and Odyssey and philosophical writings of Plato and Aristotle, honey found its way into many ancient texts, myths and legends. The Romans continued the practice of apiculture, using honey for both dietary and health requirements.

According to The Philosopher’s Kitchen, where we found the recipe for this Hazel-Walnut Honey Custard walnuts were a child’s plaything. They were also found in this recipe, which comes from an ancient Roman cookbook.

An Ancient Holiday Dinner

1. Seared Beef with Lemon-Herb Crème Fraiche
2. Kale with Coriander Sauce
3. Poppy Turnips
4. Etruscan Foccacia
5. Hazel-Walnut Honey Custard

Hazel-Walnut Honey Custard

Ingredients

¼ cup walnuts
¼ cup blanched hazelnuts
2 cups whole milk
¼ ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground allspice
Pinch of freshly milled five-color peppercorns
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
Pinch of salt
3 large eggs
1 large egg white
3 tablespoons nut liqueur (frangelico or amaretto)

Directions

1. Finely grind the walnuts and hazelnuts in a food processor. Toast the nut mixture in a small dry nonstick skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until golden. Reserve 2 tablespoons.

2. Place the remaining toasted nuts and the milk, nutmeg, allspice, and pepper in a saucepan and bring to a low boil over medium-low heat. Gently simmer the mixture for 10 to 12 minutes to reduce the milk and infuse the flavors. Remove from the heat and stir in ¼ cup honey and the salt. Allow to cool to room temperature.

3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease six ½ cup ramekins and place them in a deep baking pan.

4. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and egg white, and then whisk them into the milk custard until well incorporated. Pour the custard into the ramekins. Fill the baking pan with hot water until it reaches three-quarters of the way up the ramekins. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.

5. Bake in the center of the oven until set and firm, about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat but leave the ramekins in the oven for another 10-15 minutes.

6. While the custard is cooling in the oven, make the sauce. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of honey with the liqueur in a small bowl.

7. Serve the custards in the ramekins, or if you prefer, invert each onto a plate and then invert again onto a serving dish so that it rests golden side up. Drizzle with the honey liqueur mixture and top with the reserved toasted nuts.

Pots de crème are essentially custards baked in diminutive pots. Custard is derived from the medieval word “croustade” which means dishes served in a crust. As most of us know, a custard is made with milk (or cream) and eggs, but according to the book On Food and Science any liquid combined with the eggs will do, even water! As long as a mineral, such as salt, is dissolved a “coherent gel” will form. This is an interesting fact, if not an appealing one.

Our modern definition of custard arrived in the 1600’s when it became popular to bake fruit crèmes in individual dishes instead of using them as a filling for crusts. The pots associated with pots de crème arrived on the scene during the early to mid 1730’s. However, the pots with one handle were used to serve à jus. A diner could sip the warm broth during the course of a meal. It wasn’t until the 1800’s that the small pots were used for desserts, specifically baked custard, hence pots de crème.

Today you can find many recipes for pots de crème. The custard is a blank canvas waiting for you to flavor it as your taste demands. My taste buds were demanding peaches and cream when I came upon the beautiful donut peaches at my farmers market.

Donut peaches. Not only are these little heirloom peaches adorable, they are low in acid making them gently sweet, with a hint of almond. It is hard to resist just eating one after another, but even harder still if they are served with pots de crème. The pairing creates the perfect summery dessert that will disappear before your eyes.
Pots de crème is dessert comfort food baked in an oven, but during the dog days of August who wants to turn on the oven? Admittedly I’ve been anti-oven this summer. I have been avoiding the oven as if it was a dark and evil beast. I’ve turned to my crock pot, treating it as a mini oven.

Crock pots are associated with busy schedules and cold weather comfort food. Never would I imagine putting my pots de crème in the crock pot to “bake”. Craving pots de crème and also craving the need to stay cool, I prepared the pots de crème as I would normally, but then I placed them within my crock pot (in a water bath), covered with the lid and set on high. I walked away and two hours later I had perfection.

Ingredients
2 cups cream
1 tsp peach extract
1 vanilla bean
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Heat 1 3/4 cup of the cream with the vanilla bean.

2. Beat egg yolks until they are pale. Beat in the sugar, salt, extract and 1/4 cup of the cream.

3. Gradually beat in the hot cream, stirring constantly. Strain the mixture into a large 4-cup measuring cup.

4. Place 6 – pots de crème cups (soufflé cups or ramekin) in a large roasting pan. Divide the mixture evenly into the cups. Pour enough hot water in the pan to come halfway up the sides of the dishes. Cover the pan with foil or with the pot lids. Place in oven and bake at 350°F until the custard is just set around the edges. Time will vary based on the depth of your cups or ramekins and how much is poured into them.

5. Remove the pan from the oven. Remove cups from the pan and allow them to cool. Then, cover and chill in refrigerator at least 2 hours.