Separate 5 eggs and beat the whites until stiff, adding as they start 10 stiffen ½ cup sugar a little at a time. Scald 2 cups milk to which piece of split vanilla bean has been added- Take the pan (torn the heat and drop spoonfuls of the beaten egg whites on top of the milk, shaping them wiih the spoon to look like eggs. Cook the meringues over low heat for 2 minutes, turn, and cook them on the other side for 2 minutes longer. Remove the “eggs” with a skimmer to a napkin or paper towel to drain. Add 1 cup cream to the milk and bring it back to the boil. Beat the 5 egg yolks in a bowl with 1 cup sugar until the mixture is smooth until creamy and stir in 1 tablespoon flour. Pour the hot milk slowly over the egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly, and cook, continuing to stir, until the boiling point is almost reached and the mixture is thickened. lie careful not to let it boil. Strain the custard through a line sieve and chill.
Meanwhile wash 2 cups fresh strawberries, dry them thoroughly, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar and a little lemon juice. Put the berries in a serving dish, pour the custard over them, and arrange the “eggs” on top. Sprinkle with grated chocolate. Or put the custard and meringues in individual serving dishes and serve the strawberries separately.
Petits Palmiers (Little Palm Leaves)
Roll out puff paste (see October, 1953) 1/8 inch thick into a rectangle 10 to 15 inches long and 4 ¼ inches wide. Sprinkle the dough with granulated sugar. Fold over each of the two long sides 1 inch so that they meet in the center, making the strip half as wide. Sprinkle with sugar. Fold over again lengthwise so that the outside edges again meet in the center and the strip is now 4 layers thick and 1 inch wide. Cut the strip crosswise into ½-inch slices or, if smaller palm leaves art desired, into ¼ inch slices. Arrange the slices cutside down on a buttered baking sheet and open the end of each just a little, about 1/8 inch on each side, to make a V. Bake the puff paste leaves in a hot oven (450° F.) for about 10 minutes on each side. As they bake they will flatten, spread, and caramelize. Turn the palmiers when brown and continue baking until brown on both sides.
Little cocktail palmiers may be made in a similar way. The dough is sprinkled with grated cheese instead of granulated sugar.
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