Thursday, March 4, 2010

Custard

Why is custard always flavoured with vanilla these days? It's as though plain custard must always be vanilla, whether it be disgusting sickly extract flavour or wonderful black seeded pods. But custard in it's original incarnation tasted of eggs. Vanilla wouldn't come till later, and it was bloody hard to get for starters. Next time you make a custard dessert, be it a pudding, creme caramel or plain old yellow custard, try making it without the vanilla and remember what a proper egg custard tasted like. I have nothing against vanilla; it is an incredible thing. But a really good simple egg custard can be a revelation! Think about Cantonese custard tarts. Now you know what I mean.

3 comments:

  1. Emma! Brie here! Happened upon your blog while cleaning out my History so I went your FB and there the link was! Must have visited before though I can only vaguely remember...but getting to my point: I remember one time you took me to dinner with your extended family at that big chinese restaurant in Doncaster on the main road, I forget which, but I'm sure you know what I mean, and I enjoyed it all heartily (of course, being an Aussie I was brought up Chinese food!) until the EGG CUSTARD TART which disagreed with my tastebuds wholeheartedly and I could not stomach it but your family made me eat it HAHAHA. Hmm longest sentence ever. Anyway, you probably don't remember this but it STICKS in my head probably because of the taste and feeling in my mouth and how...well, gross I found it. But I felt bad because everyone was watching me to see if I liked it etc. But a nice liquid custard like you are talking about I love! People by premade custard here which has piles of maize starch etc added to thicken it which is awful. I made real custard for my housemates in the first year of Uni (with apple crumble) and they were so startled and immediately in dreamy food heaven.
    OK geez I'm so sorry for this massive long message! Anyway, keep it up, will it be weird if I start reading your blog!? I am a blogaholic and yours is interesting. I see a future Dooce!! (Knowest thou Dooce?) Anyway, Au revoir!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Argh, just realised that kinda sounded rude but I didn't mean it like that at all! I had an egg thing when I was younger because I used to be allergic and even now I switch between loving eggs for breakfast etc and violently hating them. It's nothing against those little custard tarts themselves!
    Peace

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brie! Hello! That's hilarious. I don't remember that part but I do remember dragging you to dinner. Ah dinner with a Chinese family. If that's the worst that happened to you, consider yourself lucky! Hahahahah. It's so cool to hear from you. Please read! I do think of you often. You are so intertwined with childhood memories it's hard not to!

    ReplyDelete

 

yasmin lawsuit