Although her "Burnt Custard" sounds , well , burned , it is composed of delicious layers of various textures. Sponge cake slices (Savoy Cake) are placed on the bottom of a bowl. A sweetened cream (liquidy custard) of egg yolks , milk and sugar , is poured on top. Then...
Whipped egg whites are spread over the custard and topped with a thin layer of fine sugar. The sugar is caramelized to a nice crispness by heating up a salamander [illustration below] or old fireplace shovel and holding over the sugar on the egg whites.
Mary Randolph included many marvelous recipes in her cookbook
The Virginia Housewife in addition to a sketch of a refrigerator , discussed in the previous posting
HERE.
Her "Trifle" recipe is similar , except the cake slices are soaked in wine , and the custard is topped with whipped cream , not egg whites. The "Burnt Custard" of Randolph is
not like Crème Brulee , except that the top layer of sugar is heated with a salamander or a modern torch. The Burnt Custard of other authors , such as Rundall , are like Creme Brulee - a solid custard with a heated sugar topping.
The famed French chef , Francois Massialot (1660-1733) is reputed to be the first to use "Crème Brulee" for this dessert in his book
Le Cuisinier Royal et Bourgeois , Paris , 1691. In the edition a couple years before his death , 1731 , he used "Crème Anglaise" as the recipe name. In both cases , the dessert was a firm , not liquid like Randolph , custard topped with sugar turned golden brown by a heated fire shovel.
BURNT CUSTARD BOIL a quart of milk--and when cold , mix with it the yelks of eight eggs; stir them together over the fire a few minutes; sweeten it to your taste , put some slices of savoy cake in the bottom of a deep dish , and pour on the custard; whip the whites of the eggs to a strong froth , lay it lightly on the top , sift some sugar over it , and hold a salamander over it until it is a light brown; garnish the top with raspberry marmalade , or any kind of preserved fruit.
SAVOY OR SPUNGE CAKE TAKE twelve fresh eggs , put them in the scale , and balance them with sugar: take out half , and balance the other half with flour; separate the whites from the yelks , whip them up very light , then mix them , and sift in , first sugar , then flour , till both are exhausted; add some grated lemon peel; bake them in paper cases , or little tin moulds. This also makes an excellent pudding , with butter , sugar , and wine , for sauce.
©2012 Patricia Bixler Reber
hearthcook.com
