COOKING TIME: 10 MINS
SERVES: 4
INGREDIENTS
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1 vanilla bean
5 egg yolks
½ cup sugar
PREPARATION
Split the vanilla bean with a sharp knife, scrape out the seeds and put the pod and seeds aside.
METHOD
1. Place milk, cream, vanilla bean pod and seeds into a saucepan on medium heat.
2. Bring to the simmer and remove from the stove.
3. Whisk sugar and egg yolks with a hand beater in a large bowl until fluffy and light.
4. Remove vanilla bean pods from milk and slowly add in the warmed milk mixture to the eggs. Whisk until combined.
5. Pour the egg and milk mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium to low heat for about 10 minutes or until it
thickens. Stir it constantly! See tips for thickening custard below.
6. Once thickened, remove from heat, pour into a clean jug and serve generously over your favourite winter dessert!
REHEATING, STORAGE & LEFTOVERS
* Store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days (if it lasts that long!). Warm carefully in the microwave to reheat.
VARIATIONS & TIPS
* If you have a thermometer, the optimal temperature for thickened custard is around 82°C. If you don’t have a thermometer, beware it can curdle easily! Keep the heat low, stir constantly and as soon as it looks like its thickening and coating the back
of a wooden spoon, remove from heat.
* I recommend using a heavy based saucepan for this recipe but remember the custard can easily overcook on the bottom if it’s
not stirred frequently.
* If your vanilla bean doesn’t have many seeds inside, use two or add a little vanilla extract.
* A finer grain sugar is best for this recipe, so I use caster sugar.
* This recipe is for a basic pure custard for pouring over desserts. If you want a slightly thicker custard add 1 tbs plain flour
when whisking the eggs and sugar. A thicker custard is good for trifles and flans. You can also thicken a custard by using
gelatin (e.g.: crème caramel).
* For a smoother consistency, strain the custard through a sieve once it’s removed from the heat.
NOTE
Always look for organic ingredients to be sure you are avoiding additives or check the label carefully to ensure there are no nasties in your ingredients.
