If eggs yolks and full cream milk could make babies, I’d imagine they’d taste a lot like custard.

The promiscuous mingling of these two key ingredients (and some other naughty bits thrown in) have resulted in an iconic sauce embraced the world over. Custard (creme anglaise)  forms the foundation of many dessert favourites such as ice-cream, trifle, bavarois (custard based-mousse) and fools. It also fulfills the letter of being one of the most accommodative dessert accompaniments known to man.

The utilitarian cousin of creme anglaise: – Pastry cream (creme patissiere) , is a denser, thicker version of the sauce and is used extensively by pastry chefs to fill cakes, pastries, tarts and choux buns (think croquembouche). Pastry cream consists of the exact same elements used to make custard, with the slight difference of a thickening agent (usually cornflour) cooked into the mix.

Grasping the concept of custard-making is imperative for any aspiring-cook, as it aids one in understanding the building blocks of many well-known desserts. Take creme brulee and creme caramel for instance; these two classics possess a similar ingredient composition as custard (egg, milk/cream,sugar, vanilla) with slight variances in the mixing process, proportions and heat application.

BASIC CUSTARD RECIPE

90g caster sugar

6 egg yolks

300ml milk

300ml cream

1/2 vanilla pod (scored lengthways with seeds scraped out) *you can use a vanilla substitute if pods are hard to obtain

Place milk, cream, vanilla seeds and pod in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and remove from heat the moment it begins to bubble (leaving it to boil too long will cause moisture to evaporate). Set aside, and get on to the next job which is whisking the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl (metal, glass or ceramic – stay away from plastic) till combined and slightly pale (don’t have to get too crazy!).

STRAIN half of your hot milk mix into the whisked yolks – whisk immediately till well combined. Decant in the remaining hot milk mix and whisk well till smooth.

Pour boiling water into the saucepan and sit the bowl of mixture on top ensuring that the base of the bowl isn’t touching the water (bain marie). Now to exercise some patience. Use a silicon scraper, rubber spatula or wooden spoon and stir CONSTANTLY for the next few minutes (remember to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl). The mix will thicken gradually.

To test whether your custard has reached the desired consistency, coat the back of a wooden spoon with the mix, then quickly swipe a line across the surface with your finger (*refer to picture). Tilt the spoon slightly and if the mix shows some resistance before flowing back over the swipe, it’s ready. Immediately remove from heat and serve (hot/cold).

KEY TIPS:

~ If too much heat is applied, the custard might begin to scramble. You can avert disaster by transferring the mix right away into a cool bowl. Subsequently, strain the custard through a fine sift.

~ Remember that the custard will always be thicker when chilled

~ Try not to make custard in overly large batches. It is always harder to control the cooking

~ When your custard-making skills develop, you can scrap the bain marie altogether and try cooking the custard in a thick-based saucepan over a low heat. The custard will come together much quicker. Just remember to scrape the sides and bottom of the saucepan well, and keep stirring!

~ Have a go at flavouring your custard (e.g. wattle seeds, cinnamon, mandarin zest, star anise, chai herbs etc.). Infuse these aromats as you would the vanilla.

Whipping up a batch of fresh custard does take a little more time out of our day, but it is definitely worth the effort. Take my word for it – once you’ve tasted home-made custard, you won’t go back to using the powdered or cartoned stuff. Don’t worry if you muck up initially; making mistakes is the best way to learn what not to do. Just have another go till you get it right. It is a fundamental skill that once acquired, will open up a gateway of dessert possibilities!

Get your custard on!

Why all the fuss over poufy white fluff?

 

The skill of meringue-making is a common kitchen artistry that all aspiring cooks should have in their back pockets. The ability to whip up a perfect bowl of foamy egg whites forms the foundation for perfecting a multitude of desserts/confectionery , some of which include the prevalent Pavlova, mousse, nougat, marshmallows, buttercream, semifreddo, macarons, the list goes on.. The exact measurements in meringue recipes vary according to intended use, but the fundamental techniques are always the same.

However, before you flex those guns’ and crack out the trusty whisk, here are some meringue facts you need to know:

The two most common methods of making meringue:

Italian Meringue – A stable meringue that is made by slowly drizzling hot sugar (112°C to 116°C)  into egg whites as its being whipped.

French Meringue – A more basic meringue whereby sugar is gradually rained into the egg whites as it’s being whisked, with icing sugar folded through at the end.

Less common is Swiss Meringue, which is made by heating the sugar and whites over a bain marie to 110-120°C and then beating the mixture until stiff.

Types:

Hard and soft. Hard meringue is made with a higher sugar content and baked for a long time period at a low temperature. Soft meringue is often used to ice tarts (i.e.lemon meringue tart), cakes or in desserts (i.e. floating islands).

Today, we’re going to tackle the kinder beast, the French Meringue technique. The recipe is easy to remember as it simply calls for equal quantities of egg whites, caster sugar and  icing sugar.

BASIC FRENCH MERINGUE:

INGREDIENTS:

200g egg whites *NOTE: Ensure no residual egg yolk. Traces of yolk (even small ones) can prevent the whites from whisking up)

200g caster sugar

200g icing sugar (sifted)

EQUIPMENT:

A squeaky clean mixing bowl

Whisk (you can either do this by hand or electric mixer)

Spatula

METHOD:

Firstly, make sure that all of your equipment (especially the mixing bowl and whisk) are clean and grease-free. Fat (even in small amounts) will prevent the whites from foaming up. Preheat your oven to a low 120°C. If you’re using a fan forced oven set the temperature to 100°C/105°C.

Place the whites in the bowl (you can add in two drops of lemon juice OR a pinch of cream of tartar to help stabilise the mix, but it would still work without) and whisk on high till it becomes a soft foamy mass  (i.e.bubble bath). DO NOT add in any sugar before it reaches this stage.

At this point, add in the caster sugar a little at a time, whisking continually. You’ll notice the meringue getting denser (resembling whipped cream). Once you’ve finished adding in all the sugar, keep whisking until the meringue is stiff (test it out by turning the bowl upside down. If nothing slops out, you’re set).

Tip the icing sugar into the meringue and FOLD together, confidently but gently, from the outside in (in a figure-of-eight motion). Once the icing sugar is mixed in, STOP folding. Overworking the meringue will cause it to collapse and lose its air. What you’re left with is a pearly, glossy bowl of light meringue that is now ready to be used as your recipe directs *Pat on the back.

To make crispy meringue shells, you can choose to pipe you meringue onto a tray lined with baking paper; either in rosettes using a star nozzle, or in long lines to create logs. If you can’t be bothered, you can spoon them out onto the tray as big blobs (for those wanting a more “organic” look).

These go in the oven for one-and-a-half to two hours. Best thing to do is to turn off the oven after its done baking, and leave the shells in the oven overnight with the door slightly ajar. This allows them to dry out completely, producing crisp shells.

SHIRAZ STRAWBERRY ETON MESS:

You can put your meringue biscuits to good use by whipping up this simple dessert favourite. Traditional Eton Mess is usually made with fresh strawberries, cream and meringue biscuits (some add yoghurt in as well). This is a personal rendition of the dessert with the addition of red wine.

INGREDIENTS:

Meringue shells (about 80g worth)

300ml fresh cream

40g caster sugar

1/2 punnet Fresh strawberries (roughly chopped)

For strawberry compote:

Punnet of strawberries (whole, with leaves off)

1  1/2 cups red wine (use a cheap cleanskin; you can substitute with other grape variety though I’d stay away from pinot noir)

1 cup brown/white sugar

Rind of 1/2 an orange (grated)

A dribble of vanilla essence/extract/paste/pod

Put all ingredients for the compote into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook at a simmer until mixture resembles a chunky jam (make sure you stir from time to time to prevent from burning).

When it has reached a thick gloopy consistency, pour in a splash (about 1/2 cup) of ADDITIONAL red wine – mix and take off the heat. Store covered in the fridge to chill.

Whisk up the cream together with the 40g caster sugar until firm peaks.

To assemble, mix the cream, compote, fresh strawberries and CRUSHED meringue biscuits together in a bowl. Serve in a large dish or in individual glasses. Serve with additional chopped strawberries to garnish (makes about 6-8 serves).