My mother an her Western European heritage was all about creamy, dreamy desserts including cream pies, cakes, and puddings. One of my favorites was always traditional vanilla custard, you know the kind that you have to make on the stove and it forms a skin when cooled? Yep, that kind. I could, and can still, devour it any time it’s set in front of me.
My family adores it as well, but the old-school way of tempering the egg yolks was a bit much for my already fractured days so I looked for an easier way to make it without tempering. It does exist, I’m happy to say, and this method is simple and very rewarding compliments of GroupRecipes.
Ingredients for Homemade Vanilla Custard
- 4 Egg yolks
- 3 Tablespoons Cornstrach
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 Cup sugar
- 3 cups milk
Then add in:
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract (really try to use the good stuff)
Directions
Add the first 5 ingredients to a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Using a whisk, continue to stir and stir until you start to see the mixture thicken which took around 15 minutes for me and my stove. Resist the urge to turn up the heat- you don’t want burned milk and eggs on the bottom of your saucepan!
See those pretty, little bubbles? Once it begins to make them, remove the pan from the burner and add it the vanilla extract and butter.
I didn’t put my custard back on the stove at all and merely mixed in the two on a trivet.
The custard will take on a creamy, light brown color compliments of the vanilla extract.
Immediately spoon or ladle into bowls or cups and let sit- if you can stand the torture. The recipe serves four, but it’s just as good when it serves three. 😉
We, personally, like vanilla custard warm, but you can certainly put the cups in the fridge for an hour or two to cool down. Don’t like pudding skin? Place some plastic wrap on top of the custard before it cools to hinder the skin.
Happy eating!
