Australian Gourmet Traveller - (12)December 2019 (1)

Yourbasecustardcanbeflavouredwithjustaboutanything.

ForatraditionalChristmascrèmeanglaise,addaslugofbrandy

oncethecustardhascooled(ifyouaddittoosoon,itmaysplit).

Hazelnutliqueurisalsolovely.Addingspicewillalsogiveita

reallybeautifulChristmasflourish–thinkgroundginger,cloves

oragoodgratingofnutmeg.Aseasonalfruitpurée,suchas

raspberryorpeach,canbestirredthroughforalighterfinish.

Youcanalsouseagoldensugarinsteadofcasterifyouwant

adeeper,morecaramelisedflavour.

Variations on acrème

C

old custard at Christmas time is a favourite for

many of us, whether it be spiked with brandy for

your Christmas pud, or poured over simply baked

stone fruit. It’s also great to keep in the fridge ready

to go. To make a custard, or crème anglaise, as it’s also called,

the method is quite simple – egg yolks whisked with sugar and

cooked out with the addition of milk – but some patience is

required. You need to cook the custard over a low heat with a lot

of movement to hold the protein together and avoid curdling the

mixture. Once the custard is made, chilling it quickly to halt the

cooking process will safeguard that perfectly thick, velvety finish.

Step bystep

Tips:

 Whenwhiskingeggsyolksandsugar,alwayshavetheyolksreadyfirst(astheeggs

will“cook”thesugar)andwhiskimmediatelytocombine.

 Constantstirringwhencookingthecustardisrequiredtopreventcurdling.It’svery

importanttokeepthecookingtemperaturelowtopreventthemixturesplitting.Usea

flat-edgedwoodenspoonwhenstirring,soyoucanscrapethebaseofthesaucepan

welltoavoidsolidssticking.Stirinafigure-of-eightmotiontoensureevencooking.

 Ifyourmixturecurdles,youcancoolit,thenblenditwithahand-heldblender,butthere’s

stillachanceitwon’tre-emulsify,inwhichcase,youwon’tbeabletocookitanyfurther.

1

Placeaheatproofbowlover

abowloficeandsetaside.

2

Whisk 8 eggyolksand

150gmcastersugarin

abowluntilthick,paleand

creamy(about 3 minutes).If

youhaveanelectricmixer,beat

withthewhiskattachmentfitted.

3

Bring 1 litrefull-creammilk,

1 splitvanillabeanwith

seedsscrapedand50gmcaster

sugartoasimmerinalarge

saucepanovermediumheat

untilsugardissolves.Pourhot

milkmixture,inbatches,over

yolkmixture,stirringtocombine.

2

3

Masterclass

5

4

Returnmixturetothe

saucepan.Ifthereare

milksolidsstuckonthebase,

useacleansaucepan(ifthere

areminimalmilksolids,itwillbe

fine).Scaldedmilkwilltaintthe

flavourofthecustard(seetips).

Stirmixturecontinuouslyover

low-mediumheatuntilcustard

thickens,reaches82°Cand

coatsthebackofawooden

spoon(10-15minutes;testfor

thicknessbyrunningyourfinger

alongthespoon;itshouldleave

acleanline).

5

Immediatelypourcustard

intopreparedbowltostop

thecookingprocess,thenstir

mixtureoccasionallyuntilchilled

(30minutes).Ifservingcustard

warm,verygentlyreheatit,

stirringcontinuouslytoprevent

itfromsplitting.Custardwill

keeprefrigeratedfor3-4days.š

RECIPE & WORDS LISA FEATHERBY. PHOTOGRAPHY WILL HORNER. STYLING JERRIE¤JOY REDMAN¤LLOYD. ALL PROPS STYLIST’S OWN.

GOURMET TRAVELLER 43