1939-05-09 — Page 16

THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 9, 1939

Custards Bring Gay Note Into Everyday Cookery

HOW TO MAKE AND HOW

CUS

TO SERVE THEM

USTARDS bring a light-hearted note into cookery, All cooks, at some time or other, must have felt grateful to the first of their line who discovered that beaten eggs and heated milk are well mated and when sweetened and flavoured con- stituto a delectable dish.

then mix it with milk, fruit juice or any other liquid, it will set or thick- en that liquid if it is stirred gently over a moderate heat-in a double saucepan or a "bain-marie" prefer- ably.

If the liquid is allowed to boil the white of the egg sets too hard and Perhaps one of the attractions of “breaka" into tiny lumps. The mix- the custard is that, while of old re- ture "curdles" and goes watery, nown, it keeps always up to date. and once this has happened there is Old manuscript cookery books re- no remedy. Remember the rule of cord treasured family recipes for low-temperature cooking for all egg custard, and the latest sweets, custards. which bring all the piquant charm of novelty, often owe much to the thickening or whites alone. In the clever use of a delicately flavoured, first case a deep yellow custard or well-made custard as one of their curd is the result, while with whites ingredients.

a very light, pale-coloured custard which is ideal for serving with sum- mer fruits or for chilling.

But the preparation of custards, easy though it may seem, brings a certain amount of anxiety to many cooks They are haunted by the fear that the custard may curdle in the process of making, and tragedy thus overtake their sweet dish.

HOW TO MAKE CUSTARDS

Yolks alone can be used

SNOW CUSTARD

for

REFRIGERATOR BAGS

Nearly all cooked food, such as meat, fish or pastry is inclined to.... become dry in the refrigerator un- less wrapped in greaseproof paper or placed in a covered receptacle.

Special refrigerator bags are sold which save a lot of time and trouble. Various sizes are packed in each box, and these bags can be had in greaseproof paper, or in a more transparent paper which enables one to see at a glance the contents of the bag.

The use of these bags in the refrigerator means that no food can absorb the flavour of anything else placed there at the same time, and is also a great saving of space, as no dishes or recep- tacles are necessary. and many packets of food can be stored in a small space.

SAVOURY ASPARAGUS

CUSTARDS

**

of

Here are a few variations: 1. Add one tablespoonful

chopped shelled walnuts to three-quarters pint custard. 2. Add one tablespoonful of ground almonds and beat well. 3. Crush 12oz of ratafias, add

and beat well.

4. Melt 1⁄2oz butter in a pan, stir in 12oz castor sugar. Cool till pale brown. Dissolve in the hot milk and make in the usual

way.

6. Use three gills of hot water " and three tablespoonfuls of sweetened condensed milk in- stead of ordinary milk.

6. Sweeten with honey instead of

sugar.

7. Just before serving sprinkle with crushed meringue and grated chocolate.

SAVOURY CUSTARD

Line a deep dish with short crust pastry, mince finely any scraps of cold meat, chicken, ham, season to taste, and spread in pastry case to the depth of about two inches.

Make a custard with two well- This dish is extremely useful as beaten eggs, three-quarters pint of If egg whites are first beaten to a stiff froth a snow custard can be when in rameknis (six) it makes milk, season with salt and pepper a first course for a luncheon party to taste. Place on top of mince and made.

Take 1 pint of new milk and heat or savoury for a dinner party, or bake in a hot oven until set. it in a double saucepan with 2oz. baked in a pie dish

ens.

it makes ૧

one

ALMOND CUSTARD The secret of making a smooth, sugar until it is very hot. Take four quick and easy supper dish for two.

Make a good custard with velvety custard lies in the fact that eggs, separate the whites and yolks. Thickly butter six ramekins (or pie eggs set, or thicken, at a tempera- Beat the yolks a little and then pour dish). Open a small tin of asparagus pint of milk, two eggs, two dessert- cooked asparagus spoonfuls castor sugar and ratafia ture far below boiling point. To be over them the heated milk and tips--use fresh exact, anything from 140 deg. F. sugar. Stir to blend then return to in its season. Cut into lengths of flavouring to taste. to 180 deg. F. will set an egg. This the saucepan with a vanilla pod and in to 3⁄4in, and line the ramekins.

Bake as usual in a very slow oven custard is about 40 deg. lower than the stir gently until the mixture thick- Lightly beat two eggs, stir into two-

thirds pint of milk that has been, until firm. Cover top of boiling point of water, 212 deg. F.

well seasoned with a thick layer of apricot jam This very simple rule is the most Meanwhile beat the whites in a just warmed, and important thing we should know large bowl until they are quite stiff. with salt and pepper. Pour this cus- and serve with rich cream.

This pudding is equally good about eggs. for it makes every as- When the custard is thick pour it tard mixture into the ramekins, and

This will require served cold, in which case whip the pect of egg cookery perfectly clear. gently on to the beaten whites-haŷ- bake until set.

cream lightly and heap on top of It explains, for instance, why curds, ing removed vanilla pod-stirring about 25 minutes in a slow oven.

Grate Parmesan sauces and custards made with eggs with a spoon or egg whisk until all

or Cheddar jam. will "curdle" if they are boiled. A is blended. Cover bowl at once to cheese on to each custard, decorate poached egg is a good example of conserve the steam and keep in a with one or two very green aspara- this point, for it gets" when you warm place until the whites are gus tips, dust lightly with cayenne, leaves. Put these in a saucepan with drop it into hot

and brown under the grill. Serve water, but it quite set. "breaks" if the water is allowed to

very hot.

boil rapidly.

It the same way, if you beat an egg to blend the white and yolk and

To keep the custard covered un- til cool will also prevent a skin from forming, and the result will be a foamy custard, soft and smooth.

Daisy Brand

BUTTER

Made in the great continent 'down under' from the produce of one of the world's finest dairy herds

what better pure, creamy, golden. than Daisy Brand for goodness and food value?

•

•

Daisy Brand

Moonfestucad in. Amatadia. Spuddly Con

The Dairy Farm, L&CS.COLA.

$1.25 per lb..

THE DAIRY FARM, ICE & COLD

STORAGE CO., LTD..

PURE FOOD SPECIALISTS,

¿

80 YEARS' OLD RECIPE

Wash and dry five small laurel'

one pint of

new milk and

two

inches

of stick cinnamon. Simmer to extract the flavour-but do not allow to- boil. Strain on to two well-beaten.

THE MANSE CUSTARD·

Where economy must be con- sidered this custard is an excellent substitute for the richer custard, eggs omitting white of one, to which has been added Demerara Boil one pint of milk in a double

sugar to taste-about one table-- saucepan. Take one new laid egg and break this one to a dessert spoonful. Return to clean saucepan and stir until it thickens. When cool spoonful of cornflour placed in a basin. Mix this with a spoon till add a tablespoonful of sherry. Serve in glasses, with petit fours. De- quite smooth...

merara, besides being the best sugar to give sweetness, is good because it darkens the colour.

Add the boiling milk by degrees, stirring all the time. Add one tea- spoonful of castor sugar and return mixture to the saucepan and stir, always the same way, for a few min- utes till the cornflour has lost its rawness. Do not over-cook it. Flav- our with vanilla or any flavouring |desired and pour into a jug to cool

till required.

A STEAMED CUSTARD

Steamed custards should be cook- ed in a mould on a double fold of kitchen paper in a saucepan with sufficient boiling water to reach 2-3rds of the depth of the mould. The water must boil gently or the custard will be leathery and full of holes. Sometimes baked custard be- comes watery. A successful pre- ventative may be found by placing a few grains of rice in the bottom of the dish before pouring in the custard ready for baking. The grains of rice absorb the whey as it forms, with the result that the custard is quite solid when cooked. ̈TO VARY THE FLAVOUR *

It is the small additions—the un- usual flavours-that give custard its interest in the menu and show the skill of the cook

Witty Kitty

"1919, be Wall Syndicate)

Politeness is an asset at all" times including that moment the... traffic cop handa you a ticket.