Custard Crown Recipes

SIMPLE CUSTARD

Steps:

• Cook and stir milk, vanilla extract, and butter in a saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove mixture from heat before it comes to a boil.
• Whisk eggs, sugar, and cornstarch together in a bowl until sugar dissolves.
• Set saucepan back over low heat. Pour in egg mixture slowly, whisking constantly, until custard thickens enough to coat the bottom of a spoon, 5 to 10 minutes.

SPUN-SUGAR CROWN

Steps:

• Using masking tape, attach 2 wooden spoons to the counter, placing them side by side with the handles extended over the edge. Lightly oil the handles. Cover floor with newspaper.
• Bring sugar and corn syrup to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Cook until mixture turns pale amber and registers 300 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool 2 minutes. Stir in beeswax. Let cool, stirring occasionally, until caramel registers 250 degrees.
• Cut the looped ends of a wire whisk with wire cutters (or use 2 forks held back to back). Dip ends into caramel. From about 2 feet above spoon handles, swing caramel back and forth like a pendulum in long arcs, allowing strands to fall in thin threads over the handles. Immediately gather strands into a nest.

CHEF JOHN'S CREAMY CORN CUSTARD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Butter six 6-ounce glass or ceramic ramekins. Set ramekins into a 2-inch deep baking dish.
• Place corn into a large saucepan and stir in cream, salt, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat; stir in milk.
• Transfer corn mixture to a blender and pulse several times to get the mixture moving. Blend on high speed until smooth and creamy.
• Whisk egg yolks with eggs until smooth in a mixing bowl. Slowly whisk about 1/4 cup hot corn mixture into eggs until the corn mixture is incorporated. Repeat several times more until all the corn mixture is combined with eggs.
• Divide corn mixture equally into the 6 ramekins. Pour hot tap water into the baking dish to come about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
• Bake in the preheated oven until custards are just set, 30 to 35 minutes. Let custards cool for about 10 minutes before serving in ramekins or unmolding onto serving plates. To unmold, insert a knife between the custard and the ramekin, go around the edge with knife to loosen, and turn over onto a plate to unmold.

CREEKSIDE CUSTARD CUPS

Steps:

• Finely crush the graham crackers in a resealable plastic bag with a rolling pin until they resemble small crumbs. Set aside in a small bowl.
• Whisk together the milk, liqueur and instant pudding in a medium bowl until the pudding thickens and begins to set, about 5 minutes.
• With a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, beat together the heavy cream, confectioners' sugar and cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy and soft peaks begin to form, about 2 minutes. Add the pudding to the cream cheese mixture and fold to combine.
• To assemble, fill a resealable plastic bag with the pudding mixture and cut a small hole at one end. Add 2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs in an even layer at the bottom of 6 individual cups. Top with a scant 1/4 cup pudding mixture, another layer of graham cracker crumbs, another scant 1/4 cup pudding and a final layer of graham cracker crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with an orange slice and maraschino cherry in each cup before serving.

CUSTARD

Steps:

• Mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
• When the cornstarch is dissolved, slowly add the rest of the milk and sugar, and cook over moderate heat until the sauce starts to thicken and comes to a boil.
• Remove from heat.
• In a small bowl, beat egg yolks with a fork.
• Take a cup of the sauce, and slowly add to the eggs, beating briskly as you pour.
• Return the egg/sauce mixture to the saucepan, stirring into the hot sauce.
• Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat, and add the vanilla extract.
• Pour custard into a jug or pitcher, and serve.
• Tip: To prevent custard forming a skin as it cools, cover jug with plastic wrap.

CREAMY CORN CUSTARD

Steps:

• Place cream, sugar and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugars are dissolved. Cut corn from cobs; add corn to saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 10 minutes. Transfer corn mixture to a blender; cover and process until pureed. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl; set aside., In a large saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand 1 minute. Heat and stir over low heat until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in milk and strained corn mixture. Pour into eight 4-oz. ramekins or custard cups. Refrigerate, covered, until set, 5 hours or overnight., In a small bowl, combine berries, lemon zest and juice. Sprinkle custards with raw sugar; top with berries and mint.

CHEESE CROWNS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease bottoms and sides of 12 jumbo muffin cups, 3.5 x 1.75 in., or 6-oz custard cups with shortening.
• Place 1 sheet of could puff pastry on lightly floured surface. Cut into four squares. Press each square gently into muffin cup, pulling the four corners up and out of cup. Press corners down on muffin pan. Repeat with remaining sheets of puff pastry.
• Mix flour, pecans, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut margarine into the mixture, then put a heaping tablespoon in the bottom of each pastry cup.
• Beat cream cheese and sugar in medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed about 2 minutes or until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Pour about 1/3 c of the cream cheese mixture into each cup (on top of the pecan mixture).
• Bake 15 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake 5 to 7 minutes longer or until pastry is golden brown. Cool 15 mins., then remove from pan. Refrigerate uncovered about 1 hr or until chilled; cover and continue refrigerating no longer than 48 hours.