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• 2 cups Milk
• 8 Large Egg Yolks
• ½ cup Sugar
• 1 pinch Salt
• Ice cubes
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, scald milk.

In another medium saucepan, mix together egg yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt with a wooden spoon until well blended, being careful not to make the mixture foamy. (The egg yolks and sugar will now be mixed enough and will not curdle on contact with the scalded milk.)

Stir the scalded milk into the egg-yolk mixture very slowly. A thin, white layer of foam will float to the surface of the uncooked custard.

Place the saucepan over high heat. Using the wooden spoon, stir the custard in a “V-O” pattern: Start at eleven o’clock on the “face” of the saucepan, stir down to six o’clock, and return to one o’clock; then stir around the edges of the saucepan, beginning and ending at twelve o’clock. Continue stirring this way until the foam starts to lighten in color. The custard will become smoother and smoother; continue cooking until there is no more foam on the surface of the custard and only a few larger bubbles remain at the edges, about 4 minutes. At this point, an instant-read thermometer should read between 165°F and 170°F. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Using a hand whisk, beat the custard as strongly as possible in order to cool it (this process will prevent the eggs from being poached). Continue beating until the thermometer registers 155°F and the custard evenly coats a spoon and leaves a clean mark when you run your finger through it.

Prepare an ice bath: Fill a large bowl halfway with ice cubes; toss salt generously among the cubes, and add a bit of water.

Add vanilla extract to the custard. Set a sieve over a large clean bowl, and pass the custard through the sieve.

Place the bowl in the ice bath, and stir the custard until it has completely cooled. Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Store the custard, refrigerated, for up to 24 hours.

Food Network: Creme Anglaise

The cool, wet weather that has enveloped Pennsylvania and the Northeast this summer has created ideal conditions for a serious plant disease long feared by potato and tomato growers, according to a specialist in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

Late blight, caused by the fungus Phytophthora infestans, can wipe out entire fields of tomatoes and potatoes within two weeks of infestation. The disease, which caused the famous Irish potato famine in the 1840s, occurs sporadically in Pennsylvania. In 1994, confirmed late blight outbreaks caused yield losses as high as 100 percent in some Pennsylvania fields, costing growers millions of dollars…

The disease thrives in cool, moist conditions. “The ideal conditions for late blight are nighttime temperatures of 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit — accompanied by fog, rain or heavy dew — and daytime temperatures of 60 to 70 F for at least four or five days,” says [Barbara Christ, professor of plant pathology]. “The fungus requires moisture on the leaf surface, and may die after an extended period of temperatures above 86 degrees.” …

The first symptoms are small, irregularly shaped dark spots on leaves that may expand rapidly in moist weather to form brown, blighted areas. Leaves may become limp…

Home gardeners should check their potato and tomato plants for symptoms weekly, more often during cool, wet weather. “If symptoms appear, remove and bury or burn all parts of infected plants,” says Christ…

Weather Conditions Raise Concerns about Late Blight in Crops

• 1 pound Butter
• 3 to 4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tablespoons Fresh Chives, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Thyme, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Sage, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Rosemary, chopped

Hardware:

• Dough scraper
• Standing mixer
• Parchment paper or plastic wrap

Chop the butter into uniform chunks using the dough scraper.

Place the oil into the food processor and add the chives. Process until the chives are finely chopped. Add the remaining herbs and blend until the herbs have colored the oil. Using the whisk attachment, whip the butter in the mixer’s work bowl at medium speed until it softens and lightens in color, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the herb oil to the butter and beat for another 2 minutes until oil is fully incorporated. Remove butter from bowl and spoon onto parchment paper or plastic wrap. Roll into a log, using the edge of a baking sheet to form a tight log. Chill for 2 hours before serving.

Compound Butter

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 to 3 fresh mint leaves
• Soda
• 2 ounces fresh lemon juice
• 2 ounces fresh lime juice
• Pulp from ½ lime
• 1-ounce rum
• Special equipment: muddler

Add sugar, mint leaves and a touch of soda to a highball glass. Using a muddler, crush the mint leaves and blend the mixture. Add the juices, lime pulp and fill with ice. Add rum and top the glass with soda.

Serving suggestion: Garnish with a mint leaf and a straw. Encourage guests to stir their drinks with their straws to capture all the sweetness at the bottom of the glass.

The Mojito

• 2 Garlic Cloves
• ½ cup Roasted Red Bell Peppers, drained, patted dry
• ⅓ cup Mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Finely chop the garlic in the food processor. Add the peppers and blend until almost smooth. Blend in the mayonnaise. With the machine running, blend in the oil. Season the aioli, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the aioli to a small bowl. (The aioli can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Garlic Toasts with Red Pepper Aioli