Deep Fried Strawberries with Custard Sauce
For the Sauce:
Custard sauce can easily be purchased in most
grocery stores, you can skip this part and buy
some sauce.
4 cups half and half
1/2 cup sugar
2 inch piece vanilla bean or 1 tsp. vanilla
5 egg yolks(save the whites)
For the Strawberries:
36 strawberries
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 cups beer(light in color like Bud)
5 egg whites
cream of tartar
Oil for deep frying
powdered sugar
To make the sauce:
In a small saucepan scald 4 cups half and half with 1/2 cup sugar and the vanilla. Discard the
vanilla bean after the cream is scalded. In a bowl beat 5 large egg yolks until they are light and add
the scalded cream to the yolks, in a stream, beating continually. Transfer the custard to a heavy
saucepan and cook it over low heat, stirring until it coats the back of a spoon. Put the sauce in a
chilled bowl covered with buttered wax paper, for at least 2 hours.(Can be made the day before.)
To make the strawberries:
Wash, dry and hull the strawberries thoroughly. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees(I like to use my electric skillet for this). In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour and 1/4 tsp.
of sugar and salt, add 1 1/2 cup beer in a stream and beat the mixture until it is smooth. In another
bowl beat the 5 egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar until they are stiff. Then fold the egg whites into the beer batter gently, but thoroughly. Dip the strawberries into the batter and fry them
a few at a time, for one to two minutes or until golden brown. Drain them on a plate lined with some
paper towels. Roll the strawberries in powdered sugar and serve on top of the custard sauce.
