Dear Lynne,
My mother passed away last year. I miss her and want to try her recipe for custard. It was my favorite when I was a kid. The recipe calls for “scalded milk.” What is this?
–Mary from Scranton
Dear Mary,
What you’re saying rings a bell. One of the ways I hold on to memories of my mom is cooking her food.
Scalding is easy, and not considered necessary these days. I wonder if it used to be done to make sure milk was safe. Heat the milk until bubbles appear around the edge of the pan and then cool it about five minutes before slowly beating it into the eggs.
If your mom’s custard is baked, keep it creamy by baking it in a low oven (around 325º), shield it from any direct heat by lining the pan’s bottom with a kitchen towel before putting in the custard containers into the water bath, and know it’s thoroughly cooked by checking it with an instant-reading thermometer. When it reaches 170ºF, it’s done. May you enjoy every spoonful.
