I’m not sure where October went, and it’s so warm outside it might as well be May. But at least the leaves are falling and the nights are cool, and the air has that amazing dead-leaf smell. I wish I could bottle that smell and put it into a tea…

Anyhow, a few weeks ago I had a dinner party, and I’m just now getting around to uploading some of it…one of the best dishes of the night was a Mint Tea Custard (to fit with the Moroccan theme of the meal). Even if you don’t like custard (like a certain party guest) you will like this. The recipe is adapted from a clipping given to me by my godmother and I have no idea what its source is, except that it’s attributed to a Lory Montgomery. So, thanks, Ms. Montgomery, your recipe has been an inspiration…

Mint Tea Custard

You will need:

1 1/4 cups evaporated milk
5 black tea bags
Several sprigs of mint, crushed
1 T lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup cream
Chips of your favorite dark chocolate (I’m partial to Lindt 85% myself)

1. Warm the milk until just under boiling point, remove from heat, and mix in the mint and tea bags, and let them steep for half an hour. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 300 degrees F…

2. Remove and discard the tea bags and mint.

3. Whisk the eggs and sugar together, and gradually add the tea/evaporated milk mixture and the cream.

4. Pour the mixture into 6-8 custard cups/ramekins and drizzle a bit of lemon juice in each one (if you don’t have any, go to your closest TJ Maxx and I promise you will find some supercute ones for like $8, and it’s totally worth it)

5. Place the ramekins in a deep roasting pan and fill with warm water till it comes about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

6. Bake until a knife inserted into the custard comes out clean – it took my oven about an hour and a half, though it has some issues, so yours might be done sooner. Remove the pan from the oven and let them cool while keeping them standing in the water.

7. Chill for at least 3 hours before serving and sprinkle with chocolate before serving.