On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 189

be firm or soft, slick or creamy, depending on its egg content The greater the proportion of whole eggs or whites, the firmer and glossier the custard Extra yolks, or using yolks alone, will produce a more tender, creamier effect A custard to be served in the container it was cooked in can be as soft as the cook desires Those that are to be turned out of a container for serving must be firm enough to stand on their own, which means that they must contain either some egg whites or at least 3 yolks per cup/250 ml of liquid (the LDL-bound yolk proteins are less efficient networkers than the free-floating albumen proteins, so we need more of them to make a firm gel) The replacement of some or all of the milk with cream reduces the proportion of eggs required for a given firmness, since cream contains 20 to 40% less water and the egg proteins are proportionally less diluted Unmolding is easiest from a buttered ramekin, and when the custards have been allowed to cool thoroughly; cooling firms protein gels Food Words: Custard, Cream, Flan The nomenclature for egg-milk mixtures has always been loose The English “custard” began as “croustade” in medieval times, and meant dishes served in a crust — thus, for egg-milk combinations, usually baked and unstirred, and so solid Early English creams could be either liquid or solid, as could the French crèmes Those congealed past the point of creaminess became known as crèmes prises, or “set creams.” Flan, a French word, comes from the late Latin for “flat cake.” Custards that contain fruits or vegetables can turn out very uneven, with pockets of fluid and curdling (Usually this is undesirable, though the Japanese expect chawan-mushi to weep and treat it as a combination of custard and soup.) The ... egg-milk combinations, usually baked and unstirred, and so solid Early English creams could be either liquid or solid, as could the French crèmes Those congealed past the point of creaminess became... comes from the late Latin for “flat cake.” Custards that contain fruits or vegetables can turn out very uneven, with pockets of fluid and curdling (Usually this is undesirable, though the Japanese expect... (Usually this is undesirable, though the Japanese expect chawan-mushi to weep and treat it as a combination of custard and soup.) The