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Custard 101 - Tips |
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MAKING
STIRRED OR BAKED CUSTARD:
There are two types of custards, stirred or made on the stovetop,
and baked.
STIRRED
CUSTARD: Stirred custard, also known as soft custard,
custard sauce or, erroneously, boiled custard, is cooked on top of the stove and
stirred to a creamy, but pourable, consistency. It includes custards made with
or without starch, such as flour or cornstarch. The
ingredients include whole
eggs as well as egg yolks used to add body and richness.
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When refrigerating a just cooked or baked custard, let
it cool about 5 - 10 minutes and then cover it with plastic wrap.
Make sure it touches the surface of the custard to prevent the milk proteins
from forming a thin crust on top when refrigerated.
Pierce a piece of plastic wrap large enough to cover the custard in
about a dozen places with the tip of a sharp knife or a toothpick; place
pierced plastic wrap directly onto surface and refrigerate to set. |
A classic custard made on the stove top without
starch is Crème Anglaise, but also includes
Lemon Curd,
zabaione or a classic custard that will be eaten as is or become a pie filling
in a prebaked crust. They require the use of a double boiler and constant
stirring.
Stirred custards have their ingredients heated to
a certain temperature, such as 170 degrees F (77 degrees C) when done, as
measured with an Instant Read Thermometer. (FYI: boiling occurs at 212 degrees
F). When it's done, it is important to remove the stirred custard from the heat
immediately to stop the cooking. Some recipes have you place the bottom of the
pot in ice water to quicken the process.
 To make fruit flavored
pastry cream, add the fruit or jam AFTER making the cream. After chilling
the pastry cream simply fold in fruit that is chopped or sliced and drained
of excess liquid. If it is too wet you will thin down the pastry cream and
it won't have the same consistency. If you want to add jam, simply fold it
in. |
Basic steps when making a cooked custard are: Heat the cream or cream
and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until scalded (you'll see small
bubbles on the sides of the pan). Split the vanilla bean in half, if using, and
scrape the seeds into the cream. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, slowly whisk the
sugar into the egg yolks and eggs. Slowly
temper the
hot cream/milk into the sugar/yolk mixture. Strain the mixture through a fine
sieve into a pitcher or measuring cup to remove any tell-tale signs of small,
cooked egg white lumps. Stir in the salt and vanilla extract or flavorings after
straining.
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Pastry Cream is a classic
stovetop custard made with starch, such as cornstarch. It is simply heated
and stirred directly on the stove until boiling. It is then strained before
cooling; with any stirred custard, it is a good idea to strain it right
after cooking because it contains eggs. Straining
removes any tell-tale signs of small, cooked egg white lumps also known as
chalazae.
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Making Creamy Custard Pie Fillings on the Stovetop:
Some fillings in pies are simple egg custards thickened
with cornstarch. Whole eggs as
well as egg yolks are used to add body and richness to the filling.
 | Whisk constantly
Use a wire whisk to stir the cornstarch, sugar and
water mixture while it cooks to keep lumps from forming. |
| Pour slowly
When adding the hot cornstarch mixture to the egg
yolks, place the bowl on a damp towel to keep it stable while you whisk.
Spoon in the hot mixture slowly. Eggs need time to adjust to heat; they
curdle if they're exposed to heat too quickly. |
| Cook thoroughly
Once the eggs are added to the filling, they must be
cooked thoroughly. This not only kills bacteria but also ensures the eggs
will not break down the cornstarch and cause the filling to be runny. |
| Cool slightly
If cooking a pie filling (like a pastry
cream or pudding) over the stovetop be sure that you let it cool slightly
before pouring it into your cooled, pre-baked pie shell. A hot mixture
added to a cool crust is likely to create a soggy bottom crust, while a
completely cooled filling just won't adhere to the layer below it. A warm
filling is ideal. (How to prevent
soggy pie crusts). |
| Strain before
using Strain the mixture through a fine
sieve into a pitcher or measuring cup to remove any tell-tale signs of
small, cooked egg white lumps. |
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When any custard is made on the stove top, it
must be cooked slowly, taking at least 10 minutes. Although some cooks like to
cook the mixture in a double boiler over hot water, a heavy saucepan over low
heat works as well. Don’t try to hurry the process by turning up the
heat.
Stir continuously with a wooden spoon. It’s fine
to have a pan of cold water on hand to plunge the bottom of the pot into to stop
cooking, but that only works if you catch it just on the brink of separating.
You really have to keep a close eye on it while cooking.
When making pastry
cream, the following tips help:
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Temper the egg mixture with the hot milk by carefully pouring
about half of the cream or milk into the egg and sugar mixture.
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| Immediately whisk to prevent the eggs from
scrambling. |
| Pour the tempered egg mixture into the
saucepan and continue to whisk, remembering to whisk into the edge of the
saucepan where the pastry cream can stick and burn. |
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For stirred custards without starch, once you've
mixed together the hot milk and beaten eggs, it’s all too easy to overheat the
mixture. To avoid this, cook the custard in a double boiler (with the bowl not
touching the water), much like you would do to melt chocolate. This produces a
gentler heat and reduces chances of splitting.
 IT'S
IMPORTANT to
never let the top part of the double boiler touch the simmering or hot water
below. It will become too hot for the ingredients inside.
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It is easy to think that to make your custard
thicker that you should cook longer. Not true! Remember, it thickens on cooling,
and English custard (as opposed to French, which is thick) should be pouring
consistency, somewhere between single and double cream.
Unless you are making a
meringue topping.
In that case, heat
the filling immediately before pouring it into the pie shell and topping with
the meringue. Do not allow the filling to cool down before the meringue has been
spread or the pie may weep because the cool filling prevents the meringue from
sealing to the filling, causing problems.
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STIRRED CUSTARDS |
Classic Crème Anglaise Recipe
- Cream Sauce |
Crème Patissiere Recipe - Pastry Cream in
Different Flavors |
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Crème Anglaise is made
without starch, such as cornstarch or flour while Pastry Cream is. This
makes for a difference in the way in which they are cooked. |
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Starch - cornstarch or flour |
No |
Yes |
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Description |
Often served as an accompaniment to sweet soufflés, fruit
desserts and cakes, custard sauce is also the foundation for Bavarian cream
and for frozen desserts such as rich ice cream. Sometimes called stirred or
pouring custard, it is a mixture of egg yolks, sugar and milk and/or cream
that is cooked only until the yolks coagulate to thicken the custard. |
Traditionally, vanilla cream is
used as a filling beneath glazed fresh fruits in a completely prebaked tart
or pie shell. The classic version uses as many as 6 large egg yolks for 2
cups milk; I usually use 4 yolks, but you can cut that down to only 2 or 3
yolks or 2 whole eggs and the recipe will still work. This cream is most
often flavored with vanilla or almond, but for a change, you may wish to try
some of the other flavor variations that follow. |
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Cooking: stove top |
Low heat and a double boiler.
If you have an Instant Read Thermometer, the
custard should reach 170 degrees F (77 degrees C) when done.
FYI: custard thickens at 160 degrees F and curdles at 180
degrees F. Water boils at 212 degrees F. |
Heavy-bottomed pot directly on the heat. Thickens at 212
degrees F (boiling), measured with a Candy or Instant Read Thermometer. |
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Tips |
Is done when: the foam of the cooked custard moves in large
bubbles to the edge of the pan, it "coats the spoon" and you can make a path
through the sauce with the handle of the wooden spoon. |
After stirring in egg yolks, bring it back almost to a boil.
Heat kills the enzymes in the egg yolks that break down starch and thin the
custard. |
BAKED CUSTARD: All baked custards have a firm, but,
delicate, gel-like consistency and are a dessert or meal in itself.
Cheesecakes,
Quiche, Flan
or a Custard Pie
are all examples of popular baked
custards.
Baked custards can be made with or without
starch, usually cornstarch. Custards without starch and other delicate recipes
need to be baked in a waterbath.
Those recipes without starch can be baked at moderate
temperatures without a waterbath. However, you can always bake those recipes in
one, if desired.
Baked Custard Dishes:
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Creme Brulée
/ Flan Dish
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Ramekin
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4"
Flan Ring. |
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The Flan
pastry is baked in a Flan ring (see picture) atop a baking sheet.
Flan may also be baked in a tart pan or a pan with a removable bottom. A
filling is added to the baked pastry. Fillings may be of any type but
typically they are custard with a fruit topping or cheese custard
resembling a Quiche. |
Basic steps
when making a baked custard are: Make the custard filling -
warm the milk or cream in the recipe. Beat the egg and sugar lightly together,
and add the milk and vanilla extract. Strain into a greased pie or baking dish.
Place in a larger pan, and pour water in the pan up to 1/2 to 3/4 up its sides.
Some recipes have you simply mix all the ingredients together and pour into a
dish. Then, bake in a waterbath or not.
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To
prevent a custard filling from spilling as you put the pie in the oven:
pull out the oven rack a few inches, place the unfilled pie shell on the
oven rack, then pour in the filling. Carefully slide the rack back into
its original position. |
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BAKED CUSTARDS |
Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe |
Lemon & Coconut Custard Pie Recipe |
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Starch - cornstarch or flour |
No |
Yes |
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Description |
Cheesecakes are essentially a
baked custard just
as flan and quiche are. It is technically a cake. |
A custard pie is
when the filling, an uncooked custard, is poured into an unbaked pie shell
and both are baked together. |
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Cooking: oven |
Bake in a waterbath so it is
not overcooked and allows for a slow thickening to take place.
An oven hotter than 325 - 350 degrees F is asking
for trouble. |
Can be baked at a moderate temperature without a waterbath.
An oven hotter than 325 - 350 degrees F is asking
for trouble. |
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Tips |
Custard is done when you
tap the side of the pan with a handle of a spoon, and it jiggles like firmly
set jell-o. Or, touch lightly with the flat of your
hand and it is still firm and spongy. If overbaked, will crack and leech
water when cooled.
If the custard appears to be
overcooked, remove it immediately from the waterbath and plunge partway into
ice water. This will bring the temperature down and stop the cooking. |
When the custard in the baking dish
moves as one mass rather than as a cup of liquid cream, it's ready.
If a knife inserted in the center
comes out clean, then the custard is probably overcooked.
If the custard appears to be
overcooked, remove it immediately from the waterbath and plunge partway into
ice water. This will bring the temperature down and stop the cooking. |
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