A custard is a combination of eggs and milk, usually sweetened and
flavoured, and either steamed, or baked as cup custard, or cooked in a
double boiler as soft custard. The whole egg may be used or the yolks
alone. The yolks make a smoother, richer custard.
The eggs must be thoroughly mixed, but not beaten light, the sugar and
salt added, and the milk scalded and stirred in slowly. The custard must
be strained through a fine sieve and cooked at a moderate temperature.
It is desirable to strain a custard, in order to remove the cords and
pieces of the membrane which inclosed the yolk. The cup custard should
be strained before cooking, the soft custard may be strained afterwards.
A soft custard is cooked over water and is stirred constantly until
done. When done, the froth disappears from the surface, the custard is
thickened and coats the spoon and sides of the pan, and there is no sign
of curdling. If the custard is cooked too long, it becomes curdled. If
it becomes curdled, put it into a pan of cold water and beat until
smooth.
A steamed or baked custard is done when it becomes set and when a silver
knife will come out clean after cutting it.