Honey Custard with Sweet Cherries

Directions

1. In a saucepan, slowly heat the milk over medium-low heat to scalding point (180 ºF), while stirring frequently. If you don't have a candy thermometer you can eyeball it. The milk is done heating when it's starting to steam, but it hasn't started bubbling. You don't want to reach a simmer or a boil, because this will cause your milk to curdle and you'll have to start over with fresh milk.
2. While your milk is heating, in a mixing bowl beat together your eggs, honey, vanilla, salt, and corn starch, and set aside.
3. Once your milk has reached scalding, remove it from the heat and very slowly add it to your egg mixture while vigorously beating the eggs and milk together. This will cause the custard to begin to thicken and become creamy as the eggs begin to cook, but if you aren't beating fast enough you'll end up with a scrambled egg mess, so put some muscle into it!
4. Wipe your saucepan clean with a kitchen towel and then add the custard mixture back into it, and return the pot to a medium-low burner. Heat the custard while continuously stirring with a wooden spoon. The technique for stirring involves slowly scraping the bottom of the pot with your spoon to prevent burning. I find the best spoon for doing this task is one with a square end. Continue to cook until the mixture becomes thick and steamy. Once again, you don't want to simmer or boil the milk, so the temperature you're aiming for is around 180ºF.
5. Once your custard has thickened, pour it into heat-safe serving bowls, allow it to come to room temperature, and then allow it to chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
6. While the custard is chilling, pit and halve your cherries, and chop a few mint leaves for garnish.
7. Once chilled, serve the honey custard topped with fresh cherries, a drizzling of fresh honey, and a sprinkling of mint for garnish.