Boiled custard is just plain good. It seems to be another one of those delights that have gone out of fashion in the past few decades. I can’t imagine why, or rather, I guess I can imagine why. It is decadent, it is rich, it has a lot of calories. But if we all adhere to Julia Child’s mantra of everything in moderation, then we certainly can have some boiled custard every now and then poured over a piece of pound cake or angel food cake or vanilla ice cream with fresh strawberries.
Custards are all a mixture of egg and dairy. The ratio of egg to the dairy, the number of yolks versus whole eggs or egg whites and whether your make a stirred custard or bake it set firm custards apart from drinkable ones, make the custard thin enough to drink or to be eaten with a spoon when baked. If you use a higher ratio of egg whites to yolks the custard will be firmer, while a higher ratio of yolks or just yolks only will produce a tenderer custard. And if you used melted butter instead of milk, you’d have a hollandaise.
A stirred custard won’t gel as a baked custard will, and is also known as a creme anglaise. If you make a meringue (uncooked) and float it on a pool of custard you have a floating island or oeufs a la neige (snowy eggs). Baked custards can take several forms: a flan, a creme brulee, a baked custard pie or a creme caramel. Again, it is all the same principle, but they have different degrees of richness and firmness based on the use of milk versus cream and the ratio of eggs and yolks to the dairy.
The recipe is simple and the technique is simple, but requires you to be attentive; no talking on the phone or running to see what just happened on “The Chew.” If you do you’ll have curdled custard. Ninety-nine percent of us would shudder at the thought of curdled custard, but my mother had a great friend, Miss Peggy Allen, who made her custard very casually, losing focus once or twice as it simmered on the stove. Not to be deterred when she saw the lumps, she would simply take the curdled mess and put it into her blender and whir the lumps away. And while I don’t recommend it, it helps to know that there is a cure for a sick custard.
Boiled custard is not expensive to make and is such a labor of love. I hope you make some soon and introduce your children and grandchildren to it.
GRANNY FRANNIE’S BOILED CUSTARD
1/2 gallon (8 cups) milk (or half-and-half, if you really want to spoil yourself)
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
7 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla
(Source: asoutherngrace.com)
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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