1. Preparation of ingredients:
If using a vanilla pod, split it in half and scrape out the seeds with a knife. Add the seeds and pod to the milk.
If using a vanilla pod, split it in half and scrape out the seeds with a knife. Add the seeds and pod to the milk.
2. Heat the milk:
In a saucepan, pour the milk (with the vanilla pod or extract) and heat over medium heat until simmering (do not boil). Then remove from the heat and let the vanilla infuse for a few minutes.
3. Mix the egg yolks and sugar:
Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture whitens and becomes slightly frothy.
4. Add the hot milk:
Remove the vanilla pod from the milk.
Gradually pour the hot milk onto the egg yolk/sugar mixture, whisking all the time to prevent the eggs from cooking.
5. Cook the custard:
Return the mixture to the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula or rubber spatula, using figure eight movements to prevent the cream from sticking to the bottom.
The cream should thicken slightly. It is ready when it coats the back of the spatula (ideal temperature: around 82°C). If you run your finger over the spatula, it should leave a clear mark.
Be careful not to boil the cream, otherwise it may curdle (form lumps).
6. Cool the cream:
Once the cream is ready, pour it immediately into a clean bowl to stop the cooking. Let it cool to room temperature and then refrigerate.
history of custard:
One of our most popular products is our Real Vanilla Custard, so I thought I would write a little bit about the history of custard and a few interesting facts.
Custard became a popular food in the middle ages when it was paired with pastry to become a custard tart. The origin of the word custard actually dates back to the middle ages, coined from the French term ‘croustade’ originally referring to the crust of a tart, and can also be linked to the Italian word ‘crostata’.
The Forme of Cury is a collection of recipes from 14th century England and they include ingredients such as meat, fish and fruit bound by the custard. In the Elizabethan era, marigold was used to give the custard a stark yellow colour, much like the custard produced from powder products in the 21st century.
‘Custard’ can refer to many variations of the dish, when starch is added it’s considered crème pâtissière or when gelatin is added it is referred to as crème anglaise collée. Technically, however, the word custard refers only to an egg thickened custard.
Our Real Vanilla Custard is praised for its rich vanilla flavour and creamy texture. Less than 1% of the world’s vanilla flavour comes from real beans. The taste and potency of vanilla pods vary depending on where they are grown, just like grapes grown for wine. We use vanilla paste and extract made from beans from Madagascar, where we believe the worlds finest vanilla is grown, exhibiting a fabulous rummy taste and sweet aroma it is perfect for making the best custard in the country. The issues with crops in recent years have pushed the price of vanilla higher and higher, at one point recently topping the price of silver. It is no wonder so few vanilla desserts are made with real vanilla pods.
We pride ourselves on the fact that we have met the cows who help to make our custard and we have seen and know that they are well looked after by the farmers at Jackson’s dairy. Knowing that happy cows have helped make our product makes it taste even better in our opinion.
Custard is a quintessential British accompaniment to desserts and here at the Buxton Pudding Company, we pride ourselves on keeping up this medieval tradition with such a delicious version of the dish.
Custards baked in pastry (custard tarts) were very popular in the Middle Ages, and are the origin of the English word 'custard': the French term croustade originally referred to the crust of a tart, and is derived from the Italian word crostata, and ultimately the Latin crustāre.
Examples include Crustardes of flessh and Crustade, in the 14th century English collection The Forme of Cury. These recipes include solid ingredients such as meat, fish, and fruit bound by the custard. Stirred custards cooked in pots are also found under the names Creme Boylede and Creme boiled. Some custards especially in the Elizabethan era used marigold (calendula) to give the custard color.
In modern times, the name 'custard' is sometimes applied to starch-thickened preparations like blancmange and Bird's Custard powder.
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