Boiled Egg custard

[vilasman]

I dont know if it is really called boiled egg custard. It's something my mom and aunts made for me as a kid, and the ones who are left seemed to have lost all interest in making it and i want to get the technique down on how to make it. And make some for my mom for her birthday.
The reciepe is not exact but here is what I know and maybe somebody can give me some tips on how to at least cook it right.

1st get some milk, somewhere between a quart and a half gallon.
Get a few cans of evap milk
Get some sugar maybe a cup for a quart of milk
Get some eggs maybe 4 to half a dozen for a quart of milk
You also need vanilla.

In a double boiler start warming the milk and the evap milk.
seperate the eggs and beat the yolks with the sugar
whisk the egg whites and add a little vanilla.

my mom would just add the beat egg yolks and sugar to the milk, but i think one should warm the egg mix before adding to the milk so that you dont wind up cooking the eggs in the milk.

Stir the mix in the double boiler until it starts to thicken, the stick the spoon in the mix and then drag your finger across the spoon and see if the line stays put.

Add the egg white mixture to the top and let cool.

At some point you also add vanilla to the egg mixture but as per usual i forget about it until the end.

Anybody else made this? Anybody have an exact reciepe?

 

[TATTRAT]

sounds like a toned down zabaglione(sabayon).

 

[Gretchen]

This is the "famous" southern custard called "boiled custard". It's more identifable name is probably creme anglaise. My DMIL probably made gallons and gallons in her day--when you were sick, when you were well, when you had pound cake, banana pudding, etc.
She (and I) make it only with milk, not evaporated milk. It can sort of be made to taste and to thickness desired. The more eggs, the thicker. It has to be carefully stirred and tended in order not to scramble the eggs. It can be a bit more foolproof from that problem by using only the yolks. It is an excellent ice cream base for your home freezer.
As I say, it can be adjusted to sweetness and thickness.
Beat 4C milk with 1/2C sugar to mix. Add 4 egg yolks and mix well. Put in a double boiler and heat over simmering water, stirring constantly until the mixture coats the back of a silver (metal) spoon. Vanilla beans can be added at the beginning or a tsp. of vanilla at the end. This ratio of eggs to milk makes a comparatively thin custard--drinkable.
I have made it in a heavy saucepan directly on the burner by keeping the heat very low and stirring. It is usually a nice idea to strain the custard through a sieve to get any little granules of curdled egg.

 

[vilasman]

I am sitting here, rocking back and forth, smiling to myself, you have given me a ratio, my mom and aunts used evaporated milk and cornstarch to thicken it, they usually made it from just out from under the chicken eggs when they could get them,so that sort of explains the thickening thing.

I ate so much custard as a kid my mom wouldnt make it for fear i would get sick from it. I would eat before it would cool, i would eat it on ceral, I would drink it...

now I need to stop being lazy and make a cake or some cup cakes to go with it.

 

[Gretchen]

Oh, I missed the cornstarch part. You can do that. That makes "pudding" and will make it thicker with less eggs. And the evaporated milk is fine too, of course. It changes the taste a little and will be richer (more like cream).
I absolutely love the stuff too. I grew up on baked custard however, not the boiled variety.

 

[vilasman]

I've already made a batch so i will add cornstarch next go round. How much would you suggest?
Also how do you make the baked variety.

 

[KAYLINDA]

We use this for our baked custard pies...and custard in cups.

6 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
Mix together...and I sprinkle nutmeg on top.

I bake at 350' until set. When I do it in cups I use a water bath.

 

[Gretchen]

What Kaylinda posted. It is so good.
I suggest you google for a pudding recipe for the cornstarch amount. It is quite different from custard in my mind. You need to dissolve the cornstarch in hot milk for the thickening to happen.
Glad you are enjoying "memories"!!

 

[bethzaring]

Baked custard is one of my favorites, here is my version which has less sugar than the above posted recipe..

4 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 t. salt
3 cups milk
2 t. vanilla (here's where a good quality vanilla stands out!)
nutmeg or cinnamon to dust

Bake about one hour at 300 degrees F in a water bath.