Ingredients
Scale
Equipment
- Pan (that takes the required liquid and egg volume with some comfort)
- 2 Smaller bowl for eggs
- Larger bowl for combining
- Whisk
- Sieve
- Silicone spatula (one big enough to use in the bowl as a scraper and in the pan as required)
- Food thermometer.
- Dishcloth/kitchen cloth.
Ingredients
- Eggs
- Milk or alternative milk replacement
- Vanilla or extract of choice (optional)
Instructions
- Get a small bowl.
- Crack the eggs and discard shells as appropriate.
- if not using the whole egg, carefully separate at this stage.
- Whisk well until smooth, sieve the eggs intended for use into the other small bowl to remove any lumps.
- Wash the sieve after (or grab a new one if you have multiple).
- Grab the pan.
- Add the milk or liquid desired to the pan.
- Gently heat the milk.
- While the milk is heating, put your eggs into the larger bowl.
- Stable it on a dishcloth/tea-towel/kitchen linen.
- Once milk reaches 70c turn off the heat, and grab your whisk.
- While technically it can be very slightly cooler to temper, it starts to cool very quickly so I prefer to be at the hotter end of the scale.
- While whisking quickly, steadily pour hot milk in a thin stream into the eggs, whisking constantly and vigorously using the whole liquid heated.
- Cook and whisk further if your recipe requires it in the pan ensuring the custard does not burn on the pan base.
- I generally add the extract I am using at this point.
- Once thickened or heated as desired get a fine sieve (or as fine as you have) and a bowl big enough for your mixture.
- Sieve the mixture into the bowl to remove lumps and unwanted foam.
- If continuing recipe: Transfer back to pan and enjoy continuing on your main recipe (keep stirring making sure to avoid burning the bottom of the pan
- If storing: Cool using an ice-bath to quicken the process if you’re cooling it for storage.
- Once cool, move it to your storage container and cover the mix with a layer of baking paper and cling film, or your favourite wrapping method that covers the surface of the custard to stop it forming a crust/skin.
Notes
You don’t need to use the full recipe fluid if this is for another recipe, you can temper it with a good enough amount and add it to the rest to heat or cool.
Rinse your sieve quickly, it makes it a lot easier to clean afterwards.
Milk, cream and such dairies can usually be used interchangeably in the same way.