Milk Custard Recipes

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.

GINGER MILK CUSTARD

Steps:

• Peel and grate ginger. Squeeze grated ginger pieces to release juice; measure 2 teaspoons ginger juice and transfer to a bowl.
• Place milk in a saucepan; heat until temperature reaches 160 degrees F to 170 degrees F (71 degrees C to 77 degrees C), about 5 minutes. Add sugar and stir until dissolved; pour into the bowl with ginger juice. Stir mixture immediately and cover with a small plate. Cover the covered bowl with a clean towel; let sit for at least 7 minutes.

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.

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.

MAHALABIYA

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the milk, sugar, and cardamom pods and bring to a slow simmer. When bubbles start to form, turn down the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes to steep the cardamom pods.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the cornstarch into the cream until fully incorporated. Slowly whisk the cornstarch mixture into the hot milk, until it's thickened. When the mixture holds the imprint of the whisk's loops, remove it from the heat after about 5 minutes.
• Add the rose water and then pour the warm mixture through a fine-mesh strainer. Transfer into four 6 oz. serving glasses or ramekins. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 4 to 6 hours to firm and chill.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the strawberries, rose water, sugar, and ground cardamom and bring to a boil over high heat. Then turn down to low, cover the pan, and simmer for about 10 minutes to release the fruit's juices. Uncover the pan and simmer until the liquid thickens and the strawberries soften, intensify in color, and start to shrink, another 10 to 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice. Adjust the sugar to taste. Let cool.
• Just before serving, spoon the compote onto each chilled custard and sprinkle with the pistachios and rose petals.

BAKED CUSTARD

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine eggs, sugar, spices and vanilla. Blend in milk. Pour into a 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Place baking dish in a cake pan in oven; add 1 in. water to pan. , Bake at 325° for 1 hour or until a knife inserted near middle comes out clean.