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French
Custard Cream
A custard dessert that is
easily made and that most people are fond of is French custard cream.
As will be noted in the accompanying recipe, only one egg is used and
corn starch is supplied for the remainder of the thickening.
Ingredients:
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
Makes 4 servings.
Preparation:
- Heat the milk in a double boiler,
reserving a sufficient amount to moisten the corn starch.
- Mix the corn starch with the sugar and
salt, moisten with the cold milk, and add to the milk in the double
boiler when it has heated. Stir until the mixture has thickened very
slightly.
- Cook in the double boiler for 20 or 25
minutes.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg. Add a
small amount of the hot mixture to the beaten egg, and then pour this
into the thickened milk, stirring rapidly to keep the egg from
curdling.
- Cook for a minute or two, remove from the
fire, add the flavoring, cool, and serve.
TIP: It is always necessary to salt mixtures
containing starch, as any starchy food has a raw taste when it is
prepared without salt.
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Did You Know?
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Although
custards with starch are considered to decrease in quality as fewer
eggs are used and starch in some form is added for thickening, many
excellent custard desserts are made in this way.
Because the starchy
foods used are generally cheaper than eggs, custard desserts that rely
partly on starch for their thickening are more economical than those
thickened entirely by eggs.
They are also different in composition and
texture, being lower in protein because of a smaller proportion of eggs
and higher in carbohydrate because of additional starch. They are often
utilized in the making of desserts, such as tapioca, rice, and bread
puddings. In such an event, fewer eggs are used and the starchy
material is depended on for a certain amount of the thickening.
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