What the recipe doesn't tell you
Pastry Technique
Custard is the controlled coagulation of egg proteins in a liquid (milk, cream, or both). Stirred custards (crème anglaise, pastry cream) are cooked on the stovetop while stirring constantly. Baked custards (crème brûlée, crème caramel, quiche) set in the oven in a water bath. The difference between silky custard and scrambled eggs is temperature control — egg yolks set between 65-80°C. Every degree matters.
Boiling crème anglaise — eggs scramble. NOT boiling pastry cream — the starch doesn't set and the amylase thins it. No water bath for baked custard — the edges overcook while the centre is raw. Not tempering eggs before adding hot liquid — you get sweet scrambled eggs. Not straining — any egg bits ruin the texture.
For crème anglaise (stirred): heat milk with vanilla, temper into egg yolks and sugar, return to low heat, stir constantly with a spatula until it coats the back of a spoon (82-85°C). Never boil. Strain immediately. For pastry cream (crème pâtissière): same start but flour or cornstarch is added — this raises the boiling point of the egg proteins, so it MUST be brought to a full boil to activate the starch and deactivate an enzyme (amylase) that would thin it out. For baked custards: the water bath (bain-marie) moderates oven heat, ensuring the custard never exceeds 85°C internally.
The complete professional entry for Custard and crème technique: quality hierarchy, sensory tests, cross-cuisine parallels, species precision.
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