Beat the eggs and sugar together for six minutes, and add a gill of cold milk to them. Put the remainder of the milk in the double-boiler and set on the fire. When this milk comes to the boiling point, pour it over the ingredients in the bowl, and stir well. Turn the mixture into the double-boiler, and, placing it on the fire, cook, stirring all the while, until the custard will coat the spoon. It will take about five minutes. Take from the fire, and instantly turn into the cold bowl. Stir constantly until it begins to cool. Should it grow thin as it cools, you may know that it has not cooked enough; in which case it should be returned to the double-boiler and cooked a little longer. If, on the other hand, it begins to look slightly curdled on taking it from the fire, it has cooked too much. In that case, pour it back and forth from one bowl to another, holding the bowl from which it is poured quite high, and the custard will become smooth again, unless it be very much overdone.
Soft custard is one of the easiest dishes for dessert that one can make, and one of the most useful; but only experience will enable one to detect the changes in the cooking mixture. It is impossible to give exact time. When eggs are cheap allow four; for this dish is improved by the use of a generous number.
The yolks of the eggs make a richer custard than when the whole egg is used. If the whites be required for any other purpose, you may use even half a dozen yolks.
Baked Cup Custards.
Make these the same as the custard pudding, and pour into four custard cups. Place the cups in a pan of warm water and bake in a moderate oven until firm in the centre.
Steamed Cup Custards.
Make the same as the baked custards, but steam over boiling water until firm in the centre.
Tapioca Custard.
2 tablespoonfuls of tapioca.
1 cupful of cold water.