Custard

A Classic Dessert with a Caribbean Twist

I was at Palena, my favorite restaurant in Washington, at the end of a meal, when the dessert's taste and texture made me gasp. It was a shallow lemon custard, not just silky but crystal clear in its flavor: a blast of just lemon, cream, and sugar in one bite. Pastry chef Aggie Chin explained that it's her take on a posset, a traditional English dessert in which the cream softly sets with nothing but the help of the acid from the lemon juice. I knew I'd try this at home. It makes the perfect topping for the cookie-crumble crust I like to make, and the perfect base for the fruit I like best with lemons: berries. This can be easily doubled when you'd like to make dessert for two nights in a row, or for you and a friend to share.

If you've never made a savory custard, now's the time. Start with this minimal and delicate Japanese version, studded with fresh peas and tender shrimp.

This velvety pudding is the brainchild of chef and cookbook author Sara Foster; and like many of her recipes, it’s a masterpiece of simple goodness that needs no extra bells or whistles. But it’s amenable to a variety of sauces and toppings. Try soaking the fresh berries in port to make a memorable dessert.

This recipe is part of the Epicurious Online Cooking School, in partnership with the Culinary Institute of America. To watch it being made, and to learn how to make other dessert classics, check out the videos.

This recipe is part of the Epicurious Online Cooking School, in partnership with the Culinary Institute of America. To watch it being made, and to learn how to make other dessert classics, check out the videos.

This recipe is part of the Epicurious Online Cooking School, in partnership with the Culinary Institute of America. To watch it being made, and to learn how to make other Italian classics, check out the videos.

The magic of this easy dessert happens in the fridge as the lemon juice sets the cream into a luscious custard— no eggs or gelatin required.

Eddy was inspired by his Afghan mother-in-law's recipe for firni, traditionally a special-occasion milk pudding with pistachios and cardamom. The subtle rose flavors blend well in this only slightly sweet simple custard with green, red, and white colors. It can be made a day ahead and served at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Pastry chef Jennifer Jones of Topolobampo in Chicago shared this recipe as part of a Cinco de Mayo feature on Mexican desserts. If you prefer to make one large flan, as Jones often does, use a standard pie plate in lieu of the ramekins. The process is the same, but the family-style flan will likely require 10 to 15 additional minutes in the oven. Test as you would for individual custards, inserting a knife halfway between the edge and the center—when the knife comes out clean it's time to take the flan out of the oven.

Flan, also known as crème caramel, is very similar to Crème Brûlee (opposite), in that a custard (here made with whole eggs and milk, rather than yolks and cream) is combined with a layer of caramel. But with flan, the caramel is poured into the dish before the custard is added; once the custard has baked and chilled, it is inverted before serving, so the caramel—which first hardens and then turns to liquid again in the warm oven—on the bottom becomes a sauce on top. There are two critical steps in making the caramel: First is to prevent the sugar from crystallizing. The second is to stop the caramel from cooking any more as soon as it has reached the desired color. Combining the sugar with water at the outset makes it much less likely to crystallize, so long as the sugar is dissolved (adding lemon juice can also help). Also, avoid stirring the mixture, as crystals can form on the spoon; swirl the pan to dissolve the sugar instead. Finally, keep a pastry brush and small bowl of water within easy reach for washing away any crystals that form on the sides of the pan, and set up an ice bath, to help stop the cooking when the time comes.

Be sure to make the pastry cream on the same day you plan to use it; otherwise, it has a tendency to become thin and runny.

Almond flour is simply ground blanched almonds—it doesn’t contain any wheat flour. You can make your own by finely grinding 1/2 cup whole blanched almonds in a food processor. The dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month (thaw before using). The custard filling can be made up to 1 day ahead; press plastic wrap directly onto its surface (to prevent a skin from forming), and refrigerate in an airtight container. This sauce can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. Reheat over medium-low heat, or bring to room temperature before serving.

We made this flan in a 4-cup savarin mold, but a 9 × 2-inch round cake pan or a 9-inch glass pie plate can be used as well.

Wide and shallow 9-ounce molds are perfect for crème brûlée because they provide ample surface area, ensuring a bit of crunchy topping in every bite. You’ll need five of them for this recipe. Ten 4-ounce ramekins can be used instead; reduce the sugar topping for each custard to 1 1/2 teaspoons, and add 10 minutes to the baking time, as the custards are deeper.

To produce the delightful hard surface that crackles when tapped with a spoon, you will need to brown the sugared tops with a small kitchen blowtorch, available at most specialty stores.