Your best friend is a large whisk when making custard. You don’t want the eggs to curdle; if the eggs curdle, the custard can’t be salvaged. So beat the eggs first lightly and then temper them by gradually adding 3/4 cup hot milk whisking vigorously all the while. Then gradually add the tempered eggs to the rest of the mixture in the pot. If something goes wrong and the custard gets lumpy, whisk it really fast or whizz it up in the food processor. Custard is not hard to make.
3 cups whole milk
4 eggs
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 vanilla pod, scraped
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cold butter
• Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan.
• Place the eggs in a small bowl and whisk well.
• Heat the milk in the microwave to the boiling point.
• Temper the eggs: Bit by bit stir 3/4 cup of hot milk into the beaten eggs.
• Add the remaining hot milk to the pot with the cornstarch mixture and whisk well.
• Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the pot and add the pod too.
• Gradually whisk in the tempered egg mixture and bring the mixture to simmer, whisking constantly.
• Continue to simmer, whisking constantly, until custard is sufficiently thickened.
• Remove pot from heat.
• Remove the vanilla pod and whisk in the cold butter.
• Serve the hot custard as is or transfer to a medium bowl.
• Place the bowl inside a large pot and surround it with ice cubes.
• Cover the pot and cool the custard to room temperature.
• Use the cooled custard or wrap and refrigerate for use later.
