whip. As soon as they begin to thicken
remove the casserole from the flame and
continue to whip until the eggs form a
light, smooth cream. Then add a little
chicken demiglace, as big as a nut of
butter, cut into pieces, return to the stove
to finish the cooking, pour into a silver
casserole and garnish with croutons passed
through nicely colored butter.
— Antonin Carême, L’Art de la cuisine
française au 19ième siècle, 1835Dilution Demands Delicacy
Nearly all the problems that arise in custard
and cream making come from the fact that the
egg proteins are spread very thin by the other
ingredients. Take the nearly identical recipes
for a typical sweet milk custard or a crème
anglaise: 1 whole egg, 1 cup/250 ml milk, 2
tablespoons/30 gm sugar. The milk alone
increases the volume of the mix — which the