Savory custard

It's difficult to find someone who doesn't like custard - as a dessert. And you can argue, back and forth, over what consitutes a custard, and what constitutes a pudding. To be honest, Annalena has no answers on this one, and is really not at all concerned with the distinctions. What she IS concerned with is the fact that so many people have opted for the "path of least resistance" and have adapted the disgusting packaged mixes to make custards and puddings. These days, the packaged mixes have become "instant" where all you do is add milk, heat it up, (or not), and refrigerate it, and you have "pudding" or "custard."

Heaven help us all. Hence it is no surprise that when a restaurant makes a proper, handmade custard, or pudding, rich with dairy and eggs and sugar, it is always very popular. IF you can get over the "OH, it's just pudding, I'm not spending money on that" phenomenon. Annalena is not a fan of chocolate; however, one of her favorite restaurants (Barbuto), makes an Italian chocolate custard (a "budino"), that is so good, and so tasty, that I simply take my time, licking each spoonful to get each drop.

But enough of the dessert end of that. We will make custards in the future, of a dessert type, but now, we're going to turn to savory ones.

In retrospect, the fact that one can make a savory custard should not strike as a surprise. Quiche is, after all, a savory custard pie. And savory bread puddings are basically bread held together by custard. But back in the 80s, at Fog City Diner, they unveiled a dish that became an instant classic: garlic custard. Served on a small plate, jiggling like a good custard, with vegetables around it, it was a perfect starter for a meal. Clever cooks learned that this is not a difficult dish to make, and it has now become fairly common in restaurants.

But people don't make it at home! And there's no reason why you shouldn't. It's really simple, and really delicious. I will tell you how.

You will need oven proof cups: "ramekins" if you have them, but you can use teacups, coffee cups, anything that will stand up to the oven. You will also need a pan that is big enough to hold the number of cups of custard you are making. The following makes four half cup servings. You can double it, and put eight cups in a standard, 9x13 pan without any trouble. So if you're making this for a crowd, just double everything.

You will need - DUH - two cups of milk. WHOLE MILK. You can use half and half, but if you do, I would suggest you cut the size of the portions. This is meant to be a starter, so if you think about eating a half cup of half and half, and it doesn't concern you, well, don't cut the portions.

NO LOW FAT MILK HERE PLEASE. Ok, so you've put the milk in a pot, and now, you either add peeled cloves of garlic or a chopped green garlic bulb (you could do this, by the way, with shallots, or with leeks, or any member of the onion/alium family you want. Chives are good too. If you use shallots or onions, though, I think you should saute them first, and not separate them from the milk as I explain below). How much you put in is really up to you, because you're going to be tasting. I would suggest that you go with a larger quanity. Eight cloves of garlic is not too many if you're using the cloves. Put them in the milk, turn up the heat to low. When the milk begins to bubble, turn off the heat, put a cover on the pot, and then, start tasting after ten or fifteen minutes to see if it's strong enough for you. If it's not, continue to let it sit. When it tastes nice, then add a pinch of salt, and you're ready to go. Then, beat together two eggs, and three egg yolks.

Butter four ramekins or cups if you plan to unmold the custard. If you're going to serve it in the container, don't worry. I recommend unmolding, because it's pretty. Strain the milk (unless you've got cooked shallots in there), pour it into the eggs, and mix this just until it's all combined and uniform. Then distribute it evenly in the ramekins. Then cover each one with a bit of foil, and put them in your big pan. Then, pour boiling water into the pan, just to the point where it's half way up the ramekins. Protect your hands, and put this into a preheated 325 oven (custards cook at low heat). Let it cook for about 45 minutes, and do the "jiggle" test. Does it look firm? If it does, it's done.

Take the custards out and let them cool at room temperature. Refrigerate them if you have to but when you're ready to serve, let them come to room temperature. To unmold, take a small plate and center it over the ramekin. Then shake, firmly once or twice and you should hear the "plop" onto the plate. If it isn't as pretty as you like, decorate it with some herbs, or a chive blossom, or something like that.

This is wonderful with a fresh vegetable alongside. Yesterday, I was planning to put snap peas or greens under it, but Mary, one of our farmers market vendors, had gorgeous greenhouse cherry tomatoes that actually tasted like something. Halved tomatoes, with salt on them, and that was it.

An easy first course, that you can impress your friends with. Hey, what's wrong with that? Make it tonight. Eat it tomorrow. Tell Annalena if you liked it.