Custard

“ Put this custard mixture into a tin pan, set it in a Dutch oven or something similar, pour round the pan some boiling water, enough to reach half-way up its sides, and bake the custard ten minutes. Instead of vanilla, you may flavour the custard by boiling, in the half pint of milk, a handful of bitter almonds or peach kernels, blanched and broken in half, and stirring into the custard when it has done baking, but is still hot, a wine glass of rose water. [459] As rose water loses most of its taste by cooking, it is best, when practicable, to add it after the article is taken from the fire. ”

“ Marbles boiled in custard, or any thing likely to burn, will prevent it from catching if shaked about in the saucepan.—To make a richer custard, boil a pint of milk with lemon peel and cinnamon. Mix a pint of cream, and the yolks of five eggs well beaten. When the milk tastes of the seasoning, sweeten it enough for the whole; pour into the cream, stirring it well; then give the custard a simmer, till it come to a proper thickness. Stir it wholly one way, season it as above, but do not let it boil. If the custard is to be very rich, add a quart of cream to the eggs instead of milk. ”

“ Or, pour hot milk slowly stirring, over beaten eggs and sugar, strain and pour into buttered custard cups, set in pan of hot water, bake slowly until creamy all through, or till a silver knife will come out clean when run into custard. Do not allow the water around the cups to boil at any time. Cool as rapidly as possible. The straining of custards has much to do with their smoothness and lightness. If the boiled custard should curdle from too long cooking, beating with the dish in cold water may restore the smoothness, but not the flavor. ”

“ It is very easy to garnish a dish or decorate a mold, and the habit once formed will lead to more ambitious attempts.
CUSTARDS BOILED CUSTARD NO. 1 2 cupfuls, or one pint, of milk. Yolks of 3 eggs. 1⁄2 saltspoonful of salt. 1⁄2 teaspoonful of vanilla. 3 tablespoonfuls of sugar.
Boiled custard is the basis of many puddings, ice-creams and sauces. It requires care to get it just right, for the cooking must be arrested at the right point; a moment too soon leaves it too thin, a moment too long curdles and spoils it. It should have the consistency of thick cream, and be perfectly smooth. ”

“ Instead of pouring the mixture into molds, return it to the double boiler and cook (stirring constantly) until it thickens or forms a coating over the spoon. Strain, cool, and flavor. Note that steamed custard is strained and flavored before cooking, and soft custard, after cooking.
In preparing soft custard, the eggs may be separated and the yolks cooked with the milk and other ingredients. The whites may be beaten stiff and beaten into the hot mixture with a Dover egg beater. Soft Custard may be used as a sauce over cooked rice, cake, bananas, peaches, and other foods. ”

“ They may be cooked by steaming, dry steaming, or baking.
19. In true custards there must be a sufficient number of eggs to thicken the desired amount of milk, for nothing else produces thickening. To these two ingredients may be added sweetening in the form of sugar, sirup, honey, etc. and flavoring of any desirable kind. The plain custard thus produced makes an excellent dessert and one that is easily digested. In fact, it can be digested with such ease that it is used perhaps more frequently in the diets of children and invalids than any other single dessert. ”

“ Nothing has been found that will soften the skins so perfectly as a mixture of flour, salt, and the yolk of eggs—"custard," as the workmen call it. The custard and the skins are tumbled together into a great iron drum which revolves till the custard has been absorbed and the skins are soft and yielding. ”

“ Is as delicious as it is economical to use. One penny packet is sufficient to make a pint of thick creamy Custard, in every respect as pure and equal in flavour to home-made custard prepared with new eggs. Nothing is nicer in summer-time than Allinson Custard and Fresh Fruit, or in Winter with Stewed Prunes or Tinned Fruit, Tarts and Puddings. ”

“ Make a custard of the milk, eggs, and sugar, seasoned with the spices, by heating the milk almost to boiling, then taking it from the fire and adding gradually the yolks, sugar, seasoning, and whites. Do not boil it again. Butter a pudding-dish; put a layer of crackers in the bottom, moistening with a few spoonfuls of the hot custard. On this lay some of the raisins—a thick stratum; cover with crackers—the buttered side downward; moisten with the custard, and proceed in this order until your crackers and [383] fruit are used up. ”

“ As soon as a thickening of the mixture is noticed remove from the fire, pour into a dish and set away to cool. This custard makes cup custard, the sauce for such puddings as snow pudding, and when decorated with spoonfuls of beaten egg-white, makes floating island. ”

“ The preparation may be baked in a piedish, steamed in a basin, or cooked in a jug placed in a saucepan of boiling water. Savoury custard may be made by substituting salt, pepper, and parsley for the saccharine and flavouring, and some or all of the milk should be replaced by good white stock. ”

“ The usual rule for custards is, eight eggs to a quart of milk; but a very good custard can be made of six, or even less, especially with the addition of a level tablespoonful of sifted flour, thoroughly blended in the sugar first, before adding the other ingredients. They may be baked, boiled or steamed, either in cups or one large dish. It improves custard to first boil the milk and then cool it before being used; also a little salt adds to the flavor. A very small lump of butter may also be added, if one wants something especially rich. ”

“ Treat the resulting pieces of custard twice à l’anglaise, using very fine and fresh bread-crumbs for the purpose. Press upon the bread-crumbs with the blade of a knife that they may adhere properly, and fry the pieces of cream in very hot fat. On taking the fritters out of the fat sprinkle them with icing sugar, and dish them on a napkin. ”

“ Make boiled custard of yolks, sugar and milk; when cold, flavor or not and turn into glass dish. Beat whites of eggs to stiff froth and beat in any desired jam or jelly. Beat until very firm, drop on to custard. Serve with cake or wafers. ”

“ A four-egg omelet will serve six people.
LESSON XII: SIMPLE DESSERTS—CUSTARDS SUBJECT MATTER
A custard is a combination of eggs and milk, usually sweetened and flavoured, and either steamed, or baked as cup custard, or cooked in a double boiler as soft custard. The whole egg may be used or the yolks alone. The yolks make a smoother, richer custard.
The eggs must be thoroughly mixed, but not beaten light, the sugar and salt added, and the milk scalded and stirred in slowly. The custard must be strained through a fine sieve and cooked at a moderate temperature. ”

“ To the yolks and sugar add one cup of sherry wine and cook to a thick custard in double boiler. To the custard while hot add one talbespoonful of gelatine dissolved in one-half cup of water, then whip in lightly the beaten whites. Roll out macaroons or Social Teas into dust. Into a bowl begin to lay cracker dust, pineapple, nuts and cherries. When you have used half the ingredients, pour over it the other half of the fruits and custard, sprinkling the top with cracker dust. ”

“ Many bakers have trouble with watery custard pie. This is caused from baking too long. A custard pie is baked as soon as it is firm, no matter what color it may be, and must be taken from the oven. Often times it is the fault of the milk (fresh cow milk, I mean) ; therefore, I made good use of the dry milk. This dry milk helps to thicken the custard, makes the pie sweeter and firmer. If you mix 4 lbs. sugar, 1 lb. lard, or butter, in a bowl, add 2 qts. of egg yolks, then 2 lbs. spring flour, 1 lb. dry milk, you will have a regular dough. ”