Custard

This custard is delicious as is or as a filling for pastries and cake or as a topping for pancakes, waffles, or even ice cream! What are your favorite ways to use custard?

Makes 3 cups 

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoon all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 5 large egg yolks
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl combine cornstarch, flour, and half of the sugar

2. In a large bowl, add egg yolks.

3. In a saucepan, add milk and remaining sugar. Heat over medium heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve sugar. Cook until temperature reaches about 120F (no more than 150F). If you don't have a thermometer, the milk might have a few bubbles here and there but not foaming. If it's foaming, it is too hot.

4. As the milk mixture gets warm, add dry ingredients (cornstarch, flour, sugar) into the egg yolks. Whisk until combined. Adding dry ingredients before this step or too early will change the texture of the eggs.

5. Add warm milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, about 1/4 cup at a time. Whisk constantly to combine and to prevent burning. Continue to add more milk mixture gradually until a smooth mixture and all the milk is incorporated. 

6. Return this milk-yolk mixture into the saucepan and heat over medium-heat. Stir constantly while scraping bottom to prevent burning until thickened. Keep cooking and stirring until mixture boils. Once boiled, let boil for one full minute and then remove from heat. 

7. Once removed from heat, add butter and vanilla extract. Mix well. 

8. Cover custard with plastic wrap and press against the custard so it won't form a skin once chilled. Custard should cool completely in about 2 hours in the fridge or 30min in the freezer.