Custard

Sauces, Stuffings and Marinades  

Ingredients

425 ml Milk
1 tsp Vanilla essence
110 gm Caster sugar
5 Egg yolk(s)
2 Tbsp Plain flour
1 Tbsp Cornflour
10 gm Butter or margarine

Method

Put the milk and vanilla (essence or pod) in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until thicky and creamy. Slowly add the flour and cornflour. Remove the vanilla pod from the milk if used, then add the milk to the egg mixture and stir well. Return the mixture to the pan and bring to the boil stirring to prevent lumps. Simmer for about 3 minutes, whisking all the time. Finally add the butter and stir well. Transfer to a bowl to cool, covering closely with cling film to prevent a skin forming.

Use within a couple of days.

Notes

To avoid using so many eggs, I often use 3 whole eggs instead of 5 yolks. I also sometimes replace the plain flour with cornflour.

Another way to prevent a skin forming on the custard is to save a little of the sugar and sprinkle it over the surface of the custard. This can then be stirred in when the custard is cool.

If the custard is thicker than you want it to be, add more milk once it is cooked.

Acknowledgements

Delia Smith

24 Sep 2023
Shirl Seath