As I was paging through some of my Southern community cookbooks in search of inspiration for Dessert Week, I kept stumbling over various recipes for "boiled custard." I consider myself pretty Southern, but boiled custard is not something I grew up eating, nor would I have wanted to with that awful sounding name. But upon further examination of the ingredients I realized it's actually something I've enjoyed many times over in various forms...
Turns out, boiled custard isn't much more than a variation of our European friends' recipes for pots de crème, pudding, or zabaglione. In fact, it really is just like my favorite vanilla ice cream recipe, minus the freezer. Since I love eating the ice cream custard straight from the bowl, I figured what is the harm in whipping some up "boiled custard" for an after-dinner treat.
My personal spin, "Stirred egg custard," (I changed the name for my appetite's sake) uses the most basic of pantry ingredients and comes together in just 20 minutes. No baking needed! Now that's my kind of dessert. I tested the recipe a couple of times and decided that scraped vanilla bean, while not traditional, really ups the flavor punch. I also tried one batch with cornstarch and one without: both are delicious. If you want a more drinkable custard, omit the starch. If you like a little more "oomph," than by all means throw it in.
This simple dessert is so sweet and satisfying; it's a pure shame it ever went out of fashion. Well, I'm all for bringing it back. Hooray for the classics!
What about you? Did your parents ever make you custard for dessert? Or any sort of creamy stovetop treat?

Stirred Egg Custard
Serves 4 to 6
2 cups whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean, sliced and scraped
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Homemade whipped cream, for garnish
Freshly ground nutmeg, for garnish
Combine milk, vanilla beans, and the vanilla bean pod in a very heavy saucepan (a Le Creuset works well here). Heat on medium-low to medium heat until the milk is hot and small bubbles are forming around the sides of the pan.
Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks until frothy. Add the sugar, cornstarch, and salt and continue stirring until well combined and a lighter yellow color. Stir a cup of the hot milk into the egg mixture and beat to combine. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the remaining milk in the saucepan.
Reduce heat to low to medium-low and cook the custard, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Watch carefully, stirring constantly towards the end to make sure the eggs don't overcook. Remove the saucepan from the stove. Whisk in vanilla and stir the custard for another minute or so to release some of the heat.
Allow to cool. Serve at room temperature or refrigerated. Garnish with lightly whipped cream and freshly ground nutmeg.

Related: Pudding Versus Custard: What's Your Pleasure?
(Images: Nealey Dozier)
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Comments (19)
Custards still seem to be popular in the U.K., though not so much here in the U.S. I've made custard pie and pudding, but it's been years since I've done it. My boyfriend, who's originally from the U.K., is always wanting a thin custard to pour over fruit crumbles and things like that, so I'll have to try this recipe out.
AKA creme anglaise
This is kismet! I've just baked a loaf of date and walnut bread which is crying for a pouring custard and behold, The Kitchn gifts me a recipe!
How excellent!
I love dessert week! One of my favorite comfort food/dessert is an egg custard. You take some warmed whole milk, some eggs, and you're basically there. I bake it in a water bath and eat it while it's still a bit warm - set but still slightly loose. Egg custards (and egg custard tarts) are common in the Chinese community and I was so happy to learn the recipe.
My mom used to make egg custards and we loved them. I thinking about them just recently and wanting to get her recipe. I think they were baked.
I usually make baked custard, but I'll try this; it's a little quicker.
Egg custard (baked) is a simple recipe I grew up eating and now fix for my family. It's wonderful warm from the oven and if there's any left the next day, my daughter begs to have it for breakfast. It's verrrry southern, like tea cakes and petit fours. My recipe calls for 6 eggs, evaporated milk, water, a little sugar and vanilla and bake it in a water bath.
I rarely just consume plain custard, but I think there are very few desserts that don't benefit from being slathered in Ambrosia custard. Mmmmmm.
A friend of mine puts in lemon zest instead of vanilla -- it's incredible!
I always see cartons of it next to the eggnog at Christmas around here, and my mom used to buy it, so I've always though of it as a Southern eggnog variation. I've never tried to make it, but it sounds like fun!
I made mousse a few times this winter, and remembered just how fun and easy it is. Pretty much a zabaglione (one of my favorite words!) with cream whipped in. So I guess I like custard - but in mousse form!! I made a chocolate drambuie mousse that was really lovely!
My grandmother and mom and now, myself, all make this at Christmas time. I think it may be more of a Tennessee dish than Southern in general because people out of this area don't usually know about it (especially the homemade version). Even my husband, from southern Kentucky, had never had a homemade boiled custard until he met me/my family.
I also wanted to add, it is served as a beverage around here and always placed on the dessert table at Thanksgiving/Christmas. I don't believe I've ever had it outside of the holiday season.
Time for tubby custard! Squirt Squirt!
Every Christmas since I was a tiny kid, my grandmother has prepared boiled custard (I couldn't bare to change the name my family wouldn't know what I was talking about). It's our version of egg nog. Now, every time I'm home for the holidays, I make sure that I make it with her. The process of slowly stirring the eggs under her supervision is my favorite holiday tradition.
Boiled custard was one of my Mom's specialties, but I've never known anyone else that even knew what it was! She made a killer angel food cake and she always made boiled custard to use up the egg yolks. I grew up thinking that was the way to eat angel food cake - with boiled custard poured over. She used vcanilla bean and she always left the bean in the finished custard in the refrigerator to continue flavoring it. Yum! As an interesting side to a previous post, my Mom's family was also from Tennessee, so maybe you're right!
This is called custard, or custard sauce in the UK and what is used for pouring over all sorts of puddings from crumbles to pies. I wouldn't add the salt and I wouldn't put whipped cream on the top. For a richer version I would use cream instead of milk and use the custard in a trifle perhaps. Now off to make some... :)
My grandmother was from England so we grew up eating baked custard, boiled custard, and boiled rice pudding. My mother would make tapioca pudding with milk from the dairy farm next door (NY State). Now we have our own Jersey cows and some chickens so there are plenty of eggs and real whole milk that I use to make all of the above. And when I need cream for anything I can count on it being "double cream"! (As to the calories of all this, I guess we work hard enough and don't overdo it in the dessert department so we're in fine fettle.) These don't take long to make and sure are delicious.
Loved this recipe (so glad to have found one that didn't call for a water bath!), but found the vanilla pod needed to be removed eventually... I took it out about ten minutes in. Also, this hardly filled four six-ounce ramekins of mine, so if you're preparing these for more than four people you may want to double the recipe.