Place milk, vanilla extract, and butter in a saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until simmering; remove from heat before it comes to a boil.
Whisk eggs, sugar, and cornstarch together in a bowl until sugar dissolves.
Set the saucepan back over low heat. Pour in egg mixture slowly, whisking constantly, until custard thickens enough to coat the bottom of a spoon, 5 to 10 minutes.
Serve warm or transfer custard into a large bowl, cover, and allow to cool before chilling.
This old-fashioned custard, made with simple ingredients you likely already have on hand, is the perfect sweet treat to whip up on a whim.
What Is Custard?
Custard is a decadent dessert made with eggs, milk, and sugar. Eggs are responsible for custard's thick and velvety texture, but some recipes (such as this one) call for thickeners such as cornstarch or arrowroot for extra richess.
How to Make Custard
You'll find a detailed ingredient list and step-by-step instructions in the recipe above, but let's go over the basics:
What Is Custard Made Of?
These are the basic ingredients you'll need to make this homemade custard recipe:
Milk: This decadent custard starts with four cups of milk.
Butter: A tablespoon of butter lends richness.
Vanilla: Vanilla extract enhances the overall flavor of the custard.
Eggs: Four eggs ensure a creamy, thick, and velvety texture.
Sugar: Sweeten things up with ½ cup of white sugar.
Cornstarch: Cornstarch thickens the custard.
How to Make Homemade Custard
Here's a brief overview of what you can expect when you make old-fashioned egg custard:
Bring the first three ingredients to a simmer. Remove from heat before it boils.
Whisk the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl.
Over low heat, slowly whisk the egg mixture into the milk mixture.
Cook’s Note
Add up to ¼ cup more sugar for a very sweet custard.
Crushed pineapple or mashed banana mixed in tastes great.
How to Store Custard
Allow the custard to cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat gently on the stove.
Can You Freeze Custard?
Yes, you can freeze custard for up to three months. However, it's important to note that the texture will likely change during the freezing and thawing process.
"This is a very good recipe," according to one Allrecipes community member. "I like the fact that we don't have to separate the yolk from the white. Using the whole egg is great. I followed the instructions and everyone liked it."
"Tip: Pour in the egg mixture in a very thin stream to start or pour a very small amount of the warm milk into the eggs to equalize the temp, then slowly add the eggs to the hot milk," advisesOlive'sMom.
"I made this recipe EXACTLY as provided," saysAJ Cole. "The result was phenomenal! My wife likes it less sweet, for her it was perfect as-is. I topped with cinnamon-sugar to satisfy my sweet tooth. I also saved out a small amount and added orange flavoring."
Custard is a decadent dessert made with eggs, milk, and sugar. Eggs are responsible for custard's thick and velvety texture, but some recipes (such as this one) call for thickeners such as cornstarch or arrowroot for extra richess.
Custards are of two types: stirred and baked. Both types create a rich, smooth sauce served warm or cold. Baked custards are prepared with whole eggs and are cooked in an oven with water surrounding its dish. Stirred custards contain egg yolks and are cooked on the stovetop, often in a bowl over water.
To achieve the ideal texture and flavor balance, use whole eggs and milk. Custards made with egg yolks and cream are too eggy and rich in taste and too thick and creamy in texture; they lack the subtleties that make a custard great.
While most custard and pudding recipes both typically call for eggs, the main difference is that pudding uses a starch for thickening, whereas custard's thickening agent is the egg itself (or egg yolk, in most instances). Custard's texture also tends to be firmer than pudding.
Custard primarily relies on eggs and dairy, while pudding uses milk or cream, sugar, and a starch thickener like cornstarch or tapioca. Custard tends to be smoother and more velvety due to the egg content, whereas pudding has a thicker, more gelatinous consistency because of the added starch.
Stirred custards are cooked in a saucepan until thick but still liquid in consistency, while baked custards are usually cooked in ovenproof dishes in a water bath or bain-marie until set.
Tip: Whisking the eggs with sugar helps, too. Now you can add the tempered eggs to the hot milk without worrying that the eggs will curdle or scramble. Keep stirring over medium heat as the custard thickens. You're all tempered and all set.
The main difference between the two is that creme brulee is topped with a layer of sugar that caramelizes under a broiler or torch, resulting in a crunchy, burnt sugar topping. Egg custard does not have this additional layer of sugar, but some recipes call for a dusting of nutmeg or cinnamon.
The methodology and most of the ingredients are the same, except pastry cream incorporates flour or cornstarch and therefore needs to be boiled. This results in a much, much thicker custard. Crème anglaise on the other hand, is thickened only with egg yolks resulting in a thinner, silkier, more pourable sauce.
Add the mixture into your custard ingredients as they cook on the stove. Use cornstarch as an alternative to flour. Cornstarch, like flour, requires cold water as a mixing agent. For 1 cup (240 mL) of custard, use 1 tablespoon (7.5 g) of cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of cold water.
Why You Shouldn't Boil Custard. Boiling custard leads to curdling, separating the proteins in the eggs from the milk, resulting in a lumpy, grainy texture. This ruins the smooth, velvety consistency that is the hallmark of a good custard.
Citrus fruits can cause the custard to get bitter, if left in for some time. Moreover, it is sometimes difficult to bite into fruits if they have been chilled along with the custard.
Plus, it is low in fat and cholesterol and is a good option for those looking to maintain a healthy weight. In addition, it contains nutrients like vitamin B6, which maintains blood sugar levels by preventing insulin resistance and reducing the cholesterol levels in the body.
A custard cream is a type of sandwich biscuit popular in the British Isles filled with a creamy, custard-flavoured centre. Traditionally, the filling was buttercream (which is still used in most home-made recipes) but nowadays cheaper fats have replaced butter in mass-produced biscuits.
Brands vary, but vanilla ice-cream typically has about 10 per cent more calories than custard, as well as twice the saturated fat, less protein and half the calcium and potassium. However, ice-cream usually has less sugar and salt, too.
Introduction: My name is Dr. Pierre Goyette, I am a enchanting, powerful, jolly, rich, graceful, colorful, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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