I am partial to the occasional idle dose of custard from a carton, or the nostalgia of custard made from powder, but nothing comes close to homemade custard. Allow yourself enough time to make it. If you don’t want a skin on the custard (shame on you) then cover the surface closely with cling film until ready to serve.
Ingredients
- 600 ml whole milk
- 1 vanilla pod
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp cornflour
How to Make It
- Pour the milk into a heavy-based saucepan. Split the vanilla pod lengthways, release the tiny seeds with the tip of the knife and add them to the milk with the pod. Slowly bring to a bare simmer over a low heat and keep it at this temperature for a minute or two (don’t let it even think about boiling).
- Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together in a bowl. Lift out the vanilla pod from the hot milk, then pour the milk onto the yolky mixture, stirring vigorously as you do so.
- Return the mixture to the rinsed-out pan and heat gently, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Don’t be tempted to hurry along this part by upping the heat or not stirring – lumpy custard will be your reward. Pour the custard into a jug, ready to serve.