Custard

[Scott Johnston]

Ok I need some help with this recipe for a soft custard

Custard: <LI>10 ounces chicken stock , 6 ounces egg whites , 1½ teaspoon salt, 6 peppercorns

For Custard:

Preheat oven to 300F. Simmer chicken stock for 5 minutes with pepper until infused. Remove from heat and season with salt. Whisk egg whites into the stock and then pass mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Pour custard into ovenproof ramekins. Place custard in a bain-marie and bake for 17 minutes.

I have attempted this twice now and keep ending up with egg drop soup that will not become custard. Should I let the stock cool down more? Would pouring the stock into the whites to temper them work any better? Should I just fine another recipe?

[Pat]

Ok I need some help with this recipe for a soft custard

Custard: <LI>10 ounces chicken stock , 6 ounces egg whites , 1½ teaspoon salt, 6 peppercorns

For Custard:

Preheat oven to 300F. Simmer chicken stock for 5 minutes with pepper until infused. Remove from heat and season with salt. Whisk egg whites into the stock and then pass mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Pour custard into ovenproof ramekins. Place custard in a bain-marie and bake for 17 minutes.

I have attempted this twice now and keep ending up with egg drop soup that will not become custard. Should I let the stock cool down more? Would pouring the stock into the whites to temper them work any better? Should I just fine another recipe?

I've never made this, but I think I would allow enough time for the stock to get back down to room temperature/lukewarm before adding the egg whites.

[cjsadler]

Ok I need some help with this recipe for a soft custard

Custard: <LI>10 ounces chicken stock , 6 ounces egg whites , 1½ teaspoon salt, 6 peppercorns

For Custard:

Preheat oven to 300F. Simmer chicken stock for 5 minutes with pepper until infused. Remove from heat and season with salt. Whisk egg whites into the stock and then pass mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Pour custard into ovenproof ramekins. Place custard in a bain-marie and bake for 17 minutes.

I have attempted this twice now and keep ending up with egg drop soup that will not become custard. Should I let the stock cool down more? Would pouring the stock into the whites to temper them work any better? Should I just fine another recipe?

This seems like a very odd custard recipe to me-- I've never seen one that only calls for egg whites. You definitely need to let the stock cool, but even if you do get this to set up without coagulating, I wonder how good the texture will be.

[zoramargolis]

What is the reason for leaving out the egg yolk? Concerns about cholesterol? If so, I think that recent scientific thinking has moved away from rigidly looking at egg yolks as bad guys. And I don't think your custard will thicken without yolks. Many custard recipes omit the whites and just use the yolks--that's where the thickening happens. The standard ratio is 6 egg yolks to thicken two cups of milk or cream.

If you want to make an egg white "custard" I would suggest that you whisk some of the chicken stock with cornstarch to make a slurry and then add it to the rest of the mixture--cornstarch is what thickens packaged stovetop cooked puddings. It'll probably thicken the mixture in a waterbath in the oven. But I don't think you are ever going to get a creamy custard consistency without egg yolks or cream. Or you could make a "no-panna cotta" (panna means cream) by whisking your eggwhites and stock in a double boiler and then adding some softened Knox gelatin until the gelatin melts and then chilling the mixture in ramekins. they could be gently warmed before serving.

[Scott Johnston]

Thanks you both for your suggestions. I wonder if there was a recipe translation problem and the ingrediant should have been egg yolks NOT egg whites. I will try 6 yolks to 10oz of stock and add 4 oz of cream as well. Since a crab salad will be added on top of the custard, I will still have the the makings of a savory custard.

What is the reason for leaving out the egg yolk? Concerns about cholesterol? If so, I think that recent scientific thinking has moved away from rigidly looking at egg yolks as bad guys. And I don't think your custard will thicken without yolks. Many custard recipes omit the whites and just use the yolks--that's where the thickening happens. The standard ratio is 6 egg yolks to thicken two cups of milk or cream.

If you want to make an egg white "custard" I would suggest that you whisk some of the chicken stock with cornstarch to make a slurry and then add it to the rest of the mixture--cornstarch is what thickens packaged stovetop cooked puddings. It'll probably thicken the mixture in a waterbath in the oven. But I don't think you are ever going to get a creamy custard consistency without egg yolks or cream. Or you could make a "no-panna cotta" (panna means cream) by whisking your eggwhites and stock in a double boiler and then adding some softened Knox gelatin until the gelatin melts and then chilling the mixture in ramekins. they could be gently warmed before serving.

[mdt]

This seems like a very odd custard recipe to me-- I've never seen one that only calls for egg whites. You definitely need to let the stock cool, but even if you do get this to set up without coagulating, I wonder how good the texture will be.

I thought the same thing and just did a quick Google search and found this. Ah, no thank you!