Help with my frothy custard

[phan1]

OK, I need some help with a simple custard that calls for milk, egg yolks, and sugar. Most recipes call for beating the eggs and sugar until they've grown and volume and turned white. Then you mix your whipped egg whites and sugar with milk and heat up the custard.

Now here's the problem. My whipped yolks and sugar is full of air, and when I add in the milk, it results in a custard mix that is "frothy" on top and liquid on the bottom. This "froth" tends to get in the way with whatever I'm going to do with it. So why should I whip and aerate my yolk and sugar mixture at all? Can I just add the milk yolks and cream all together so my custard isn't frothy? What does whipping the yolks and sugar do?

[chefpeon]

OK, I need some help with a simple custard that calls for milk, egg yolks, and sugar. Most recipes call for beating the eggs and sugar until they've grown and volume and turned white. Then you mix your whipped egg whites and sugar with milk and heat up the custard.

Ok, the way you've worded this is a bit confusing. I'm going to assume you're talking about yolks, and there's no whites involved, and it was just a typo on your part.

Personally, I've never seen a custard recipe that called for whipping the yolks to lighten. You're right, in the instance of making custard, it does nothing.....rather it just inhibits what you're trying to make.....a smooth creamy custard.

When I make creme brulee, I combine my yolks and sugar so that the mixture is smooth, I don't whip it. I heat the cream and then temper it in to the yolk/sugar mixture, the pour the yolk/sugar mixture back into the pot and stir til combined. The action of stirring the entire mixture makes it froth just a bit on the top, and I skim this froth off before I pour the mixture into my ramekins, otherwise, the froth will burn in the oven.

So rule one is, "don't whip" and if you do get a little froth, skim it off. I use a handheld small strainer to do that.

[AmritaBala]

Yeah, if it is foamy, I just pass it through a fine meshed sieve. That should catch all the little bubbles and leave you with a relatively clear custard. I too have not heard of using whipped egg whites in custard, though

Edited April 11, 2008 by AmritaBala (log)

[Sethro]

If you want to smooth the air out of any sauce/custard, you can do it in a cryo-vac. Pour the custard about 1/4" high in a half-hotel pan, and vac it uncovered. It will bubble up violently, and then the valve release will suck all the bubbles out of it leaving you with a smooth, de-volumized product. This technique works great for "clarifying" xantham thickened sauces as well.