CUSTARDS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 November 1938, Page 8

CUSTARDS

COLD AND HOT. EASY TO PREPARE SWEETS. Custards are light foods —easily prepared and easily digested —and nearly all the recipes, inducted in this week’s list have Ihe advantage of being equally suitable for dinner parties or children’s parties. Banana Custard. Take 2 bananas, 3 thin slices bread and butter (stale), 1 egg, J pint milk, grated rind 1 lemon, loz sugar nutmeg. Slice the bananas. Put a slice of bread and butter in a greased piedish, and cover it with slices of banana and grated lemon rind. Put in another slice of bread, and some more of the bananas, and finish with a slice of bread sprinkled with sliced bananas. Beat the egg and sugar, add the milk, and pour it over the bread. Grate nutmeg over the pudding and bake it in a moderate oven for about forty-five minutes. Caramel Custard.

For the custard: take 2 gills milk, 2 eggs, 1| dessertspoonfuls castor sugar, flavouring as desired. For the caramel: take 3oz loaf sugar, '1 gill cold water. Take a small charlotte tin and put in the oven to warm. To make the caramel, put the sugar and water • into a small saucepan, let the sugar dissolve, then boil together until the syrup becomes a pale brown colour. Pour it quickly into the warm tin and coat all round the sides and bottom of the tin with it, then leave until cool and set. Make the custard. Beat up the eggs. Put the sugar and milk into a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then let it cool slightly. Pour on .to the eggs, mix together, and add desired flavouring. Strain this into the prepared mould and cover with a greased paper. Stand it in a saucepan of boiling water on a pad of paper or on a pastry cutter without a handle, just so that it does not touch the bottom of the saucepan. The water must not reach more than halfway up the tin. Steam slowly for about thirty to forty-five minutes, until the custard is set. The water round the tin should only just simmer, otherwise the custapd is liable to curdle. When cooked, lift it out, leave for a few seconds,. then turn very carefully on to a dish. Serve either hot or cold.

Note: If by any chance any part of the tin does not get coated with the caramel when the latter has set, tne uncoated parts must be buttered, otherwise the pudding Will stick.

Caramel Cream Custard. Take 12 to 15 lumps of sugar, 2 eggs, 1’ dessertspoonfuls castor sugar | pint milk, 3 to 4 tablespoonfuls hot water, 1 gill cream. Put the lump sugar into a small, strong saucepan, with the. hot water. Let it dissolve slowly, and then bring it to the boil. Boil the syrup gently till it is deep golden. Meanwhile, warm some small plain moulds: and, directly the caramel is ready, pour a little into the bottom of each one and let it set. Then butter the sides of the mould. Heat the milk and castor sugar and pour it on to the beaten eggs, then strain into the prepared moulds. Cover each securely with a buttered paper and steam them very gently for about half an hour, or until they are set, being careful not to let them boil. Take up the . moulds, and leave them for a few minutes before turning out. Then unmould them, and, when they are cold, decorate each one with a little cream, the latter whipped and flavoured to taste. Custard Creams.

Take 1 egg and 1 yolk, 2| gills milk, | gill cream, | gill water, 3-8 oz leaf gelatine, orange essence, slices of pineapple, about 2 dessertspoonfuls castor sugar.

Beat up the eggs. Bring the milk almost to the boil, let it cool for a minute, and then add to the beaten egg. Strain it into a jug and stand it in a saucepan of hot water. Cook the mixture gently until the custard thickens, keeping it well stirred occasionally. The water round it should simmer and not boil fast. Wheh ready turn the custard into a basin and leave till cold. Whisk the cream until it begins to stiffen, gradually stir in the custard, also the sugar and orange essence to taste. Dissolve the gelatine in a saucepan with the water and when slightly cool strain it into the custard. Mix them together lightly, and when tne mixture begins to thicken turn it into small, wet moulds to set. Unmould the custard creams and serve each on a slice of pineapple.

Banana Meringue Custard. Take 6 bananas, 2 egg yolks and 3 whites, J pint milk, 1 teaspoonful sugar, juice | grapefruit, 5 sponge cakes, 2 dessertspoonfuls cornflour, jib sugar. Mix the cornflour to a smooth paste with a little milk, heat the remainder and pour on to it. Then return to the saucepan and bring to the boil, keeping it stirred all the time. Let this cook slowly for a few minutes, then draw aside, then add the one teaspoonful of sugar and cool slightly. Beat up the egg-yolks and add, stir over a low burner for a few minutes to cook the eggs, but be careful not to let it boil. Add a few drops of vanilla flavouring. Peel the bananas and mash them to a pulp. Crumble up b.e sponge cakes and add to. the banana pulp with the strained juice of the grapefruit. Mix these together, turn into a dish, add the cornflour custard, and leave till cold. Whisk the egg-whites to a very stiff froth and fold in the quarter-pound of castor sugar. Heap this on the top, then put into a cool oven to set the meringue. One half of the meringue may be coloured pink with a few drops of cochineal, and used alternately with the white for the top of the pudding. Serve cold.