Classic Vanilla Custard Recipes

VANILLA CUSTARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and salt until well combined.
• Pour milk into a heavy-bottomed, nonreactive saucepan. If using the vanilla bean, scrape seeds from pod halves into the milk using the tip of a knife. Add pod halves. Place over medium heat until small bubbles appear around the edges of the pan.
• Remove from heat and slowly pour milk mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula, until slightly thickened and coats the back of the spatula, about 5 minutes. Pour into a medium bowl and set bowl in ice water bath. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Stir in vanilla extract, if using.
• Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl, cover, and refrigerate until serving.

VANILLA BEAN CUSTARD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place an oven rack one-third of the way up from the bottom. Choose a small roasting pan large enough to hold four 6-ounce custard cups, and fill it with enough water to go halfway up the sides of cups. Place pan without cups in the oven. Meanwhile, combine cream, milk, and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan; bring to boil.
• Whisk together the yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Slowly whisk in the hot milk until completely combined, then pour into custard cups, and place them in the pan of hot water. Bake on the lower shelf until the custard has set and is no longer liquid when lightly touched in the center, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove pan from the oven, remove custard cups from the water, and place on a wire rack to cool. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

BASIC VANILLA CUSTARD

Steps:

• Have eggs ready in a bowl, and set aside where it will be within reach.
• Using a whisk, combine milk, sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan over medium heat on stovetop. Allow milk to scald (heat to the point when tiny bubbles form around edges of pan). Whisk occasionally to prevent cornstarch from clumping on bottom edges of pan.
• Remove milk mixture from heat, preferably to a burner that's turned off.
• Mix about 2 tablespoons of scalded milk mixture into eggs using whisk, then introduce eggs into milk mixture in a slow stream, whisking milk mixture constantly.
• Immediately return pan to heat and whisk gently until custard thickens, another two or three minutes. Do not allow to boil. (If you find that you have egg white strands in custard, feel free to pass it through a fine-mesh sieve into a different bowl now.)
• Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla.

FOOLPROOF CREME ANGLAISE (CLASSIC VANILLA CUSTARD SAUCE) RECIPE

Steps:

• In a medium heavy bottomed saucepan add the cream, milk, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla pod and beans.
• Simmer over medium heat until the mixture starts to bubble around the edge of the pan, for about 2 minutes, do not let it boil. Remove from the heat and let stand for 20 minutes.
• While the cream mixture is infusing, whisk the egg yolks with remaining 1/4 cup of sugar in a medium bowl.
• Ladle some of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then swiftly whisk to combine. Add another ladle of the infused milk to the eggs until the egg mixture is warm to the touch. This method is called tempering and it prevents the eggs from curdling.
• Pour the tempered cream and egg mixture into the remaining cream in the saucepan, then return the pan to the heat.
• Continue to cook over medium heat while constantly stirring until the custard coats the back of a spoon, this will take about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Once the custard has thickened, remove from the heat and strain through a sieve into a medium bowl to remove any lumps and the vanilla pod.
• Place the custard in an ice bath to cool it down quickly and prevent overcooking.
• Once cooled, cover and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up 4 days. Serve with pies, crisps and cobblers.

FROZEN VANILLA CUSTARD

Steps:

• Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and salt together until mixture changes from dark golden to pale yellow becomes fluffy.
• Heat milk and cream in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom. Cook just until mixture starts to simmer when little bubbles begin to appear on the surface, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Whisk a ladleful of milk-cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Add another ladleful and whisk thoroughly before adding the next (this will keep the eggs from cooking). Gradually add the remaining milk-cream mixture and whisk thoroughly. Whisk in vanilla. Cool completely (you can place the bowl in a larger bowl with ice water to cool it faster).
• Pour cooled mixture into a pitcher; cover. Refrigerate until ice cold or overnight.
• Pour custard mixture into ice cream maker and process (according to manufacturer's instructions) until custard reaches the consistency of soft ice cream, about 20 minutes. Quickly transfer to a plastic container. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the custard. Cover container and freeze until custard is firm enough to scoop, at least 3 hours.

VANILLA CUSTARD

Steps:

• Halve the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds. Add both the pod and seeds to a pan on a medium-low heat, pour in the milk and bring just to the boil.
• Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly, then pick out the vanilla pod.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and cornflour until pale.
• Gradually add the warm milk, a ladle at a time, whisking well before each addition.
• Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook gently on a low heat for about 20 minutes or until thickened, whisking continuously. Delicious served with all kinds of crumble.

CLASSIC VANILLA CUSTARD

Steps:

• In a saucepan, add Milk (1 1/2 cup), Whipping Cream (1 cup), and Vanilla Extract (2 teaspoon). Cook for 10-12 minutes over low heat until nearly boiling, stirring continuously.
• Set the liquid mixture aside and cool for 10 minutes. Strain the milk mixture into a heat-proof jug.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the Egg (6), Caster Sugar (1/2 cup), and Corn Starch (2 teaspoon) together.
• Add milk mixture to egg yolk mixture and whisk together. Then return to pan and stir over medium heat stir for 10-15 minutes. To test the custard's thickness, coat the back of a spoon and make a line against it with your finger. If the line holds, it's ready!
• Serve cooled or drizzled over a pudding and enjoy!

VANILLA CUSTARD FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Process the flour and butter in a food processor until coarse crumbs form.
• With the motor running, add the water and lemon zest through the feed tube and process until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl.
• Gather the dough into a ball, flatten, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or just until firm enough to roll out. If not using immediately, wrap with plastic and refrigerate for up to three days or freeze up to three months.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Place the flour and butter into a medium bowl.
• Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Add the water and lemon zest. Stir until the dough holds together.
• Gather the dough into a ball, flatten, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or just until firm enough to roll out. If not using immediately, wrap with plastic and refrigerate for up to three days or freeze up to three months.
• Press the prepared tart dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9- or 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Freeze for 20 to 30 minutes until very firm.
• Preheat the oven to 425 F. Using a fork, prick the bottom of the tart shell at 1-inch intervals.
• Line the pastry snugly with foil.
• Bake 12 to 15 minutes until crust is set and just beginning to brown.
• Remove the foil and bake until the crust is golden brown, 10 to 12 additional minutes. Set the crust on a wire rack and cool completely.
• Gather the ingredients.
• In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk in the milk until the mixture has a smooth texture. Make sure the whisk reaches the corners of the pan.
• Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and, whisking constantly, boil for 4 to 5 minutes until the mixture thickens. Remove the pan from the heat.
• In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks.
• Gradually whisk in about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture.
• Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and, whisking constantly, simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly thicker. Remove the pan from the heat.
• Add the butter and vanilla and stir until the butter is melted.
• Strain the custard through a fine sieve set over a medium bowl.
• Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard to keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour.
• Gather the shell, custard, fruit, and preserve.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the preserve until slightly thinner in consistency, about 5 minutes.
• ​ Stir the chilled custard and spread it into the prepared crust.
• Top with the fresh fruit of your choice.
• Brush the fruit with the preserve. Serve the tart right away or refrigerate, covered, for up to 24 hours. Enjoy.

CLASSIC VANILLA CUSTARD ICE CREAM BASE

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with ice to use later as an ice bath. Place an empty bowl on top of the ice. Set aside.
• In a heavy bottom saucepan combine heavy cream, milk, and vanilla. Cook over medium heat until mixture is steaming and small bubbles start to form around the edge of the pot, around 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and sugar together in a medium sized mixing bowl. Once the milk and cream mixture is steaming, stream a ladle full of the hot mixture over the eggs while quickly whisking.
• Add the egg mixture back into the saucepan with milk and cream. Whisk to combine. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the ice cream base reaches 180°F on an instant-read thermometer.
• Place a fine mesh strainer over the empty bowl on top of the ice bath. Strain ice cream base. Chill ice cream base until it has stopped steaming. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 - 8 hours, or up to overnight. The temperature should reach 40 - 42°F during this time in the refrigerator.
• Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process for about 20-25 minutes, or according to the manufacturer's directions.
• The ice cream will be on the soft side but can be eaten right away or put into the freezer to "cure" or harden up for a couple of hours. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 - 3 weeks.