We're having some family over for brunch tomorrow, and on the menu was a fruit salad with custard sauce. I wanted to get a lot of the work done today, and tackled the custard. It was thickening beautifully and I was pleased with how well things were going, never having made custard before, when suddenly I was stirring a double boiler full of a curdle, grainy, runny mess, almost like grits (by the way, I absolutely love grits. But today I wanted creamy sweet custard. Not grits.).
I dug out my always-reliable copy of The Joy of Cooking, and learned that one of the keys to good custard is not letting the temperature rise above 170 degrees while thickening. Essentially you want to keep it between 160 and 170, and stir until you get a thick, creamy texture.
I just finished the second batch, and (crossing my fingers) I think it turned out! My heart rate was elevated and I felt like a brand new mama who couldn't stand to let her baby out of sight, but I'm optimistic. It's in the fridge now, so I guess we'll wait and see how it looks tomorrow. :)
The first batch of custard went wrong. But sometimes things go right.
How can anything be wrong when you get to see that? :)
Or when you finally get an Easter candy fix!
Or when you get to spend a day celebrating the birthday of one of your closest friends with an incredible lunch at the best pizza place in Seattle.
Happy birthday Rachel! :)
And sometimes, things go right in the kitchen. Also on the menu is a garden medley quiche, which turned out fabulously, thank goodness. I'm not sure I could stand two big failures in one day. ;)
Recipe coming soon! Enjoy your Friday night. :)
Love,
Rosie
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