One of the reasons I blog is to save recipes. Often it’s recipes from a publication, such as Cooking Light, Bon Appetit, Gourmet; or from another blog source, such as TheKitchn, Serious Eats, or a blogger like Smitten Kitchen. Not nearly as often as I’d like, it could be from a family member. This recipe is very special to me. I received this recipe handwritten. It came in the mail, not an EMAIL, but in a real envelope with a stamp. And it included a note on stationary that said “From the desk of…”

Growing up, I always looked forward to my Grandma’s boiled custard on Christmas Eve. It was an after-dinner ritual to get out the chocolate pie, the sugar cookies, and best of all, the boiled custard. It was always accompanied by these little plastic Christmas cups. If you’ve never had boiled custard, I’m not quite sure how to describe it. I’ve been told it’s like eggnog without the spices and alcohol. One thing is for sure… it’s really rich! I would pour a tiny bit, and sip it slowly. Then I would turn the cup completely upside down and try to get gravity on my side to help get the last remaining bit out. I would let that sweetness settle, then without fail, 20 minutes later I’d do it all again. There’s no telling how much custard I ended up drinking, because lots of little portions add up!

I’m so thankful my Grandma wrote down the recipe and mailed it to me, because now this is a tradition I can carry on. This is truly a recipe I plan on saving forever.

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Boiled Custard

adapted from my grandmother's recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 gallon whole milk
2 cups sugar
5 eggs (my mother instructed me to remove the chalaza from the eggs)
2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

In a double boiler warm milk over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Separately, in medium bowl beat eggs. Add sugar to eggs and beat until fluffy.
When milk is hot and steamy (approx 115 degrees on a candy thermometer), slowly add a little to the eggs. Stir well, and continue to slowly add enough milk until eggs are warm. Add back to the milk mixture. Stir constantly while cooking, until mixture coats the back of a spoon (it should be approx 180 degrees, this took around 25-30 minutes for me).

Remove from heat add vanilla, and stir occasionally as it cools. (I just went back in the kitchen ever 5-10 minutes to stir) Store in the milk container (this is how my grandma always store it!). If mixture is lumpy, strain it before putting it in container.