English Custard Demystified

English custard is a complicated topic. There are many variations of this famous staple food that has long been a part of European cuisine.  It is also found commonly as a filling in English donuts and cookies and in fact one of the most famous combinations is Strawberries and Cream or Rhubarb and Cream.

So what is custard exactly?  At it’s very most basic form is simply a mixture of milk and eggs that is thickened by heat until it turns into a cream.  Traditionally custards were served in pastry tarts. This was very popular in the Middle Ages. However in the Middle Ages these custards were often savory as well and contained meat and fish as well as fruit.

When starch is added to custard it becomes what is called pastry cream. This is very French and is sometimes called confectioner’s custard.  When starch and cream are heated with eggs it is then flavored with vanilla, chocolate or lemon to make a custard desert.

Starch is added to prevent the milk from curdling while it is cooking.  This makes French pastry cream. When gelatin is added it is known as crème anglaise.  If there is no eggs and only starch added then it is known as blanc mange.  Even though it has a French name, blanc mange is flavored with almonds, tinted pink and served up as a delicious English dessert.  Blanc mange is also the type of custard that is typically used as the base for rice pudding.  Rice pudding is also a very popular dessert in England, especially when cooked up with big fat Sultana raisins.

Yet another popular variation of English custard that is served up during English tea is Bavarian cream.  This is a cornstarch thickened custard that contains gelatin and a flavored liqueur. It is made light an area when whipped with whipped cream.  The Bavarian cream is then usually poured into a mold and presented like a mousse.  Sometimes these Bavarian creams are served with a raspberry, blackberry or apricot puree.

Although any kind of sweet custard is traditional in England there are also many different types of savory custard tarts that are served in England. One inheritance from Colonialism is a spicy  chilled vegetable loaf made from a custard base mixed with chopped vegetables or meat.   Sometimes a great deal of gelatin is added to the custard until it is thick enough to be cut in to shapes. These shapes are then used to garnish bowls of soups or stew.