Silky smooth, comforting, melt-in-your-mouth, eggy goodness.
I’m talking about one of my favourite things in the world: custard. Baked egg custard was a standard remedy for stomach ailments in my family. Anyone recovering from the flu was treated to a lovely little cup of satiny custard (and if you weren’t recovering from the flu it was topped with a liberal dose of Lyle’s golden syrup).
Custard desserts are true old-fashioned favourites, probably because they’re so easy to make and require only the most basic of ingredients. Everyone has eggs, milk and sugar on hand, and basically that’s all there is to a custard. Here are three variations on the theme.
Magic Lemon Custard Cake
The batter “magically” transforms into three layers while baking.
½ cup butter, melted
4 egg whites
4 drops of vinegar
4 egg yolks
1¼ cups icing sugar
Finely grated zest of one lemon (about 1½ tsp)
3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups of milk
Extra icing sugar for dusting top
Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease an eight-inch round or square baking dish with butter. Beat the egg whites and vinegar with an electric mixer until they form stiff peaks. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat together the egg yolks and sugar with a whisk until well combined.
Add the melted butter, lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk until combined, then whisk in the flour, followed by the milk. The batter will be very thin, so it’s better to use a whisk to mix it rather than an electric mixer. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter one third at a time, folding just enough to get rid of all the large blobs of egg white.
Pour the batter into the prepared dish and place in the oven. Cook for 45 to 60 minutes until centre just wobbles a little like jelly. The top should be a nice golden brown.
Place dish on a wire rack and allow to cool for at least three hours.
When cake has cooled, place a sheet of parchment paper covered with icing sugar on a baking sheet. With the back of a knife carefully trace around the edge of the dish to loosen the edges from the side then quickly invert the cake onto the sheet of icing sugar; cut into squares. Turn the squares sugar side up and refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes nine servings.
Crème Brulée
2 cups whipping cream
¾ cup granulated sugar, divided use
1 pinch salt
4 large egg yolks, room temperature (use the egg whites to make a pavlova)
½ tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325° F. Pour cream into a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a simmer (small bubbles form around the outside of the pan, don’t let the cream boil). Remove from heat and let rest for 15 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together one half cup of the sugar and the salt with egg yolks until mixture becomes slightly pale. While whisking constantly, slowly pour cream mixture into egg yolk mixture; stir in vanilla extract. Place six four-ounce ramekins in a large baking dish. Divide cream mixture evenly among ramekins, filling each nearly full.
Pour very hot water into the baking dish, being careful not to get any in ramekins, until water level is about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Carefully transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until custard is set but centres still jiggle slightly. Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes then transfer to refrigerator to chill for at least three hours.
About an hour before serving, remove ramekins from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes, then sprinkle tops evenly with remaining sugar. Preheat broiler and place oven rack eight inches away from element. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and broil until sugar bubbles and turns deep golden brown. Watch carefully, the sugar will go from golden brown to black in a heartbeat. Remove ramekins from oven and return to refrigerator for 20 minutes. Serve cold. Makes six servings.
Vanilla Bean Frozen Custard
1½ cups half and half (10% milk fat cream)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 whole vanilla bean, split in half, seeds scraped out and reserved
5 large egg yolks
1½ cups whipping cream
Heat the half and half, sugar and vanilla bean pod and seeds in a medium saucepan over low heat, whisking constantly to avoid a skin forming on the top of the mixture.
Remove from heat when the mixture is just about ready to start simmering (small bubbles form around the edge of the pan, don’t let mixture boil), it should coat the back of a metal spoon. Beat the egg yolks with an electric mixer until slightly thick. Remove vanilla pod and slowly drizzle about half of the cream mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly (if you pour it in too fast your eggs will scramble, and nobody wants scrambled egg ice cream).
Pour the egg mixture back into the pan with the remaining cream mixture and heat on medium-low heat until thick, stirring constantly. It will start to get really thick and custard-like; remove from heat when it begins to simmer. Pour the custard into a bowl with the whipping cream and stir to combine. Place a piece of plastic wrap gently onto the surface of the custard and press lightly so the entire top surface is covered. This will help prevent a skin from forming on top. Chill in the refrigerator for at least eight hours or preferably overnight.
Following the manufacturer’s directions, freeze in an ice cream maker until it reaches the consistency of soft-serve ice cream (this usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes). Transfer mixture to an air-tight container and place in freezer to harden and ripen for at least eight hours. Makes about one quart.
Angela Shellard is a self-described foodie. She has done informal catering for various functions. Contact: [email protected].
