recipe for a cold day: hot custard

Nothing like a hot custard on a cold winter day…or a cool custard on a warm day depending on which hemisphere you’re on!

Danika Dinsmore invited me to participate in a a recipe “chain.” If this sounds like great fun for you, keep reading–the directions are at the bottom of this post.

Personally, while I didn’t mind doing the recipe part, it was the chain part that I didn’t like: I didn’t want to ask 20 of my friends to send recipes to the person at the top of the list–even if that person was Danika!

But I didn’t want to break the chain either so I sent my custard recipe to both Danika and the person at the top of the list. Since my son wanted me to make him some, I bothered to take some photos of the process using my iPhone.

This recipe for custard is super easy and satisfying. The trick to making custard is having a system. To cook the custard, you must be able to nest one oven happy bowl in a second one filled with water. But it is so easy to do that I started making it for myself when I was in third grade.

Preheat oven to 350.

scald:
2 cups milk
That means cook it until there’s a wrinkly film on top–about 4-5 minutes in the microwave.

in the smaller bowl whip by hand:
4 eggs

add slowly to the eggs while mixing:
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
the warm milk

Grate nutmeg on top. Bake for about an hour with the custard mixture resting on very hot water; if you don’t, it won’t have that lovely silky smooth custardy texture. Set the timer! I forgot and mine got a little too done as you can see from the bottom picture… Test by slipping in a knife; if it comes back clean, it’s cooked. Cool if you can be patient. Enjoy!

If you want to get this going amongst your friends, here’s a copy of the email invitation I received:

Happy Holidays! If you’re anything like me, you like to cook during the holidays.

I am participating in a collective, constructive, and hopefully TASTY experiment. As such: You have been invited to be part of a recipe exchange concept. I hope you will participate. I’ve picked those who I think would make this fun. Please send a recipe to the person whose name is in position 1 (even if you don’t know him/her) and it should be something quick, easy and without rare ingredients. Actually, the best one is the one you know in your head and can type right now. Don’t agonize over it, it is one you make when you are short of time.

After you’ve sent the recipe to the person in position 1 below and only to that person, copy this letter into a new email, move my name to position 1 and put your name in position 2. Only mine and your name should show when you send your email. Send to 20 friends BCC (blind copy). If you cannot do this within 5 days, let me know so it will be fair to those participating. You should receive 36 recipes. It’s fun to see where they come from! Seldom does anyone drop out because we all need new ideas. The turnaround is fast as there are only 2 names on the list and you only have to do it once.