Baked Custard

[ShabbyAckelford]

Hi all! I'm newly registered, however I've come poking around several times. It seems I can always find what I'm looking for, so I've come for advice.

I'm currently in culinary school, and I'm in a pastry class right now. It's really just the beginning basics, but I love it so much. I learn so many new things every week. Anyway, we have a big project coming up in the next month, and we are starting to plan for it right now. We have to make 2 kinds of custard- stirred and baked, a pie, a cake, and then use laminated dough in 2 different shapes with 2 different fillings. They need to be really good quality.. something you would buy in a bakery or order at a nice restaurant. We can combine 2 of the main categories (i.e. I'm doing puff pastry folded into a [FONT=&quot]feuilletèe filled with lemon curd- which covers stirred custard and one of the laminated doughs), or do them all separately. We have time before hand to make some of the items, so my puff pastry has been made in a previous class and frozen.. I'll make my cakes and freeze them in a couple of weeks so all I have to do is decorate them. You get the point. Then we have to make time to finish the products. Obviously I can't make dulce de leche and freeze it weeks before. It needs to be made and used immediately. Here's the kicker- we have three 4-and-a-half-hour session to do it all. It helps us learn to budget our time and plan.

Ok, so now that you guys know the basics.. any ideas for a baked custard? Haha. It seems like everyone is doing [/FONT][FONT=&quot]crème brûl[/FONT][FONT=&quot]è[/FONT][FONT=&quot]e or a cheesecake. I wanted something different. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Even just a unique flavor for ones of those! [/FONT][FONT=&quot]I've been searching books and the internet for ideas, I just can't get happy. While I've been baking for as long as I can remember, custards aren't my thing. I really don't know that much about them. I need something that is do-able in a couple of hours (I'll probably make whatever it is in an individual size so that it will chill faster) and not something that will confuse the bageebees out of me. So... help? Really, any ideas to get my down the right path would be appreciated!

Thanks so much! And sorry this is so long![/FONT]

 

[FrankZ]

While I don't have any advice for you on your project I just wanted to say welcome to Discuss Cooking.


And a good cheese cake is never a bad idea.

 

[kadesma]

How about a panna cotta? Topped with a raspberry or strawberry coulis
kadesma

 

[ShabbyAckelford]

FrankZ- You're right. I die for cheesecake. I just wish I could come up with a really creative flavor for it..

kadesma- Hmmm... panna cotta. I like it. It's fast and good! I know that coulis is traditionally raspberry or strawberry, but I have raspberry in my cake already. Have you ever had any other flavor? I have raspberry and orange in my cake, lemon to go with the puff pastry, and banana in my pie. Do you think a blueberry coulis could work? Maybe a peach mint or something? I could always fall back on strawberry...

 

[Yakuta]

So one of my friends in Dubai made this for me when I was visiting her there. In the Middle east dates are big and I absolutely loved this. You can give it a shot and see if you like it. It's super easy to make.

4 eggs
2 cups of whole fat milk (I use evaporated) - Chill it in the fridge ahead of time
1 cup of dates (pitted ones available at most super markets)
1 cup of regular milk
2 slices of white bread (remove the crust)
Pinch of cardamom
sugar to taste
Pinch of salt
Garnish
Finely chopped pistachios
Heavy Cream

Cook the dates and the 1 cup of milk until the dates are soft. The milk should reduce in quantity as the dates soften. Cook for about 15 minutes or so. Next put that in the blender and add 2 cups of evaporated milk and bread and blend the entire mixture. Slowly add the eggs (they should be fine to add if your evaporated milk is cold, it should bring the temperature down and you don't have to worry about the eggs curdling). Blend it together. Taste before adding any sugar, also stir in the cardamom and salt.

Pour into individual ramekins or a pan and bake in a water bath until the mixture is almost set (just a tiny big jiggly in the middle).

Cool it completely and garnish with some whipped heavy cream spread all over it and crushed pistachios.

 

[kadesma]

FrankZ- You're right. I die for cheesecake. I just wish I could come up with a really creative flavor for it..

kadesma- Hmmm... panna cotta. I like it. It's fast and good! I know that coulis is traditionally raspberry or strawberry, but I have raspberry in my cake already. Have you ever had any other flavor? I have raspberry and orange in my cake, lemon to go with the puff pastry, and banana in my pie. Do you think a blueberry coulis could work? Maybe a peach mint or something? I could always fall back on strawberry...

I usually use raspberries or strawberries..My favorite of the two being strawberry..But I'm thinking maybe a drizzle of either dark or milk chocolate.
kadesma

 

[LLCEC]

Custard is best done low and slow otherwise they bounce if you drop them. Your idea bout making small ind. ones is wise...they bake faster and cool faster. Melt cinnamon candies and pour a little in each dish before adding the custard mixture...yummie.

 

[catalina]

I would suggest a flan or, to be creative, a coconut and rum flan. Simple, flavorful, and a big hit whenever I make it. In case you want it: 1 can evap milk, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 4 eggs, 1.5 tsp vanilla, and enough sugar (usually 1 cup) to make caramel for the bottom of your baking dish(es). Make caramel, combine the rest of the ingredients together. After pouring the caramel into the bottom of the dish(es), pour in the mixture and bake in a water bath until set. For my large pans this is usually about 45-50 minutes, not sure about smaller dishes. If you wanted to add rum, coconut, kahlua, whatever, just mix it in with the rest of the ingredients before pouring in to baking dishes. Serve chilled. Good luck, welcome, and I hope to be where you are at someday!

 

[LLCEC]

Thanks Cat...are you ACF? Your flan sound good. If you have a low temp cook and hold oven or a combi you can skip the water bath, bake them quickly, and keep the temp low also.

 

[catalina]

ACF? Nope just a music major with a desire to go to culinary school. Hmm don't think our oven is capable of that; I'll have to look into that, thanks for the tip!

 

[oyamary]

Jamie Oliver has a green tea and vanilla pannacotta with chocolate sauce recipe. Check it out. It would be an original flavor.

 

[philso]

Jamie Oliver has a green tea and vanilla pannacotta with chocolate sauce recipe. Check it out. It would be an original flavor.

how would it be original if it's someone else's recipe?? especially a tv celebrity chef's??

ShabbyAckelford, if you just want to become a good cook, build up a collection of good recipes. anyone's. but if you're hoping to make it as a chef, there are 2 things (amongst a bazillion others) that you need to be able to do. 1) do the classics, and do them well. 2) use your imagination and think outside of the box.

what makes j.o.'s recipe above unique is the combination of green tea and chocolate. not a combination that would normally jump into mind.


just to give you some food for thought:

take a good look a your spice rack. keep in mind the 4 basic tastes and how to balance or contrast them. don't forget that smell also influences flavor. and then there are textures to consider too, as well as temperature.

as an example, curry isn't a flavor that would normally be associated with a baked custard. especially if it were a bit on the spicy side. instead of caramel, what could you use to balance or contrast the taste? molasses? a fruit puree or sauce?

stepping even further outside the box, who's to say that a custard has to be a dessert? how about something savory as a main dish? seafood custard? maybe cover some prawn shells with dry white wine, reduce to half & strain, then add some cream and eggs. maybe with scallops?

what i'm suggesting is that you do a panna cotta, cheesecake, mousse or whatever, but that you also actually use your noggin to weigh up different ideas in your mind that have definitely never been done before. once you've got some taste combinations figured out, think about textures and presentation. bounce some of your ideas off your instructor if it's not feasible to do test batches of all of them first.

hope this helps and best of luck

 

[Painless Cooking]

You can't go wrong with using some chocolate because it is the favorite flavor around the world.
Black and White Custard

2 eggs
3/4cup of egg yolks
3/4 cup of milk
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
7 oz bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup of sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
In a mixing bowl beat the whole eggs, yolks, and sugar. Set aside.
Scold milk and cream in a sauce pan. Add the chocolate to the milk mixture and stir until melted. Slowly add the egg mixture to the hot chocolate milk, stirring constantly. Pour into greased custard cups and bake in a water bath for 25 to 30 minutes.

White Sauce

5 egg yolks
1 1/4 cups of sugar
1 cup of heavy cream
1 1/2 cups of milk
1 vanilla bean
1 tablespoon of corn starch

Beat the egg yolks and sugar with mixer until fluffy, set aside. Put milk and cream in heavy sauce pan, cut vanilla bean down the middle and add to the milk. Mix the corn starch with a little of the milk to blend and stir it back into the milk in the sauce pan. Heat the milk in the sauce pan just to a boil, pour part of hot milk mixture into the beaten eggs stirring briskly. Add egg and milk mixture back into sauce pan with the remaining milk. Return to medium heat stirring constantly (do not boil) until mixture thickens. Refrigerate until cold. (This can be made ahead of time)

Unmold the chocolate custard on a plate of the cream.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

i'm going to give you a custard recipe, that you can practice with. My advice is to learn the ratio of ingredients, and then make the flavors your own. I have a wonderful key-lime pie recipe. The filling is a citrus-flavored custard. try substituting a different citrus, maybe pineapple and coconut, or lemon with a swirl of bavarian cream through it. you get the picture. Have you ever had a citrus pie made from grapefruit, or blood orange? How about a new twist with strawberries? Here's the key-lime pie recipe. and remember, practice it in private first. That way, you can adjust the ingredients in your recipe to make it great.

Ingrediants:
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (3 to 4 limes)
4 egg yolks
4 teaspoons grated lime zest
1 - 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Pie crust ingredients:
1/1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
lard

Zest one lime over a saucer and set aside. Cut the lime in half.. Squeeze out the juice through a fine mesh strainer to remove any pulp and/ seeds. Squeese the remaining limes to make a half cup of lime juice.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Combine the flour, salt, and 1/3 cup of the lard, using a pastry cutter to work the dough. Don't worry. It won't get tough until you add water. The dough should have a pebbly appearance. Add more flour or lard as needed to achieve the proper consistency. Add two tbs. of ice water and mix with a fork until it is just absormed by the crust. Roll the dough on a floured, chilled surface if the room is warm. Place your pie pan inverted over the dough and cut a smooth circle two inches larger than the pan on each side. Remove the pan and carefully fold it in half. Lift it into the pie pan and push it down evenly all around. Flute the edges. brush with egg wash, and poke little holes in the bottom with a fork. Blind bake for ten minutes and remove from the oven.

While the crust is browning, whisk the egg yolks and lime zest together in a bowl for about 2 minutes. While continuing to whisk, slowly add the milk, then juice and set aside until till it thickens. Pour the filling into the crust, making sure to spread it evenly. Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Test by jiggling the pan. The custard should jiggle just a little, but be set. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. Chill well before serving. If you want, you can use the egg whites as a merangue, or top with a cocanut-flavored whipped cream, or even chantilly cream. Be creative.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[babetoo]

i have one in a casserole in the oven as we speak, can hardly wait. thanks for the idea. oh the plain one not a citrus one.

 

[Alix]

How about a trifle? Just a thought. I love the flan idea too.

As for the coulis - blueberry?

 

[ShabbyAckelford]

Holy cow! Thanks to all of you! Obviously I haven't been back here in a while... between work and school and our ranch I've had hardly any time to even check my email.

There are so great ideas here! Exactly what I needed to get me to start working some things out. I've practiced a panna cotta (buttermilk and mint) that turned out well, but now I'm definitely going to have to try out these recipes! And even if I don't use them for my project I'm going to keep them. Luckily I have a few days off this week, so I've set them aside for testing out recipes. My family is going to be so happy when they come home and I have a taste testing with them, haha.

Oh, I'm so excited to jump into all of this. I really appreciate all the advice and recipes you all have given me. And here I thought that a baked custard was a boring thing... =p

 

[catalina]

Never boring! Quite possibly one of the best dessert genres in the world.