Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Not in a box, not with a fox



My mom used to tell me that when I was little, I really loved to eat eggs, and she couldn't understand why that changed.  But it definitely did.  Every so often, I'll try scrambling an egg to see if I've changed my mind.  I haven't so far.  And scrambled is the only way I'll even try them.  No omelets.  No fried, poached, or hard-cooked eggs.  The taste, the texture--I do not like them, Sam I Am.  

Now, if you beat them with some milk and dip bread in them, I'm there.  Or if you use them to make cakes.  Or ice cream.  Or cheesecake.  Or buttercream.  Or angel food cake.  This week I realized that I really like the parts better than the whole eggs.  Or, as long as you can't really identify them as eggs, I like them just fine. =)  Unfortunately, that didn't bode well for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe.  

This week's selection was made by Bridget of The Way the Cookie Crumbles.  She chose Lemon Cup Custard.  I like lemon just fine.  But cup custard is another story.  It tastes like eggs.  And I can't get past the texture.  It was when I was trying to figure out why I like crème anglaise (or ice cream custard) but not baked custard that I hit on my theory about only liking the parts of eggs.  At first I thought I just didn't like egg whites, but then I realized that I do like them as long as they're whipped with sugar. =)  So it seems to be something about whole eggs that aren't completely disguised inside something else that I don't like.


No disguises with this recipe.  I actually went with the vanilla variation, which consists of milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla.  I added a pinch of salt.  I accidentally put the sugar in the saucepan with the milk instead of beating it with the eggs.  But I've made ice cream custard both ways without any problems, so I just went ahead and tempered the eggs with the milk/sugar mixture.  I only made half the recipe, which was enough for 3 dishes.  I baked them in their water bath for 45 minutes, at which point they were set but jiggled a bit in the middle.  After letting the custards cool to room temperature, I refrigerated them until cold.

The verdict?  I only made this because I knew my husband Jamie would really enjoy it--and he did.  =)  I did try a small bit, which confirmed that I still don't like baked custard.  Brianna tried some.  At first she claimed to like it, but then said that it tasted like scrambled eggs and wouldn't eat any more.  (Guess she gets that from me...)  Gillian didn't actually get to try any, but she doesn't really like eggs either.  

I might make this again if Jamie wants to have it again or try another flavor.  It was easy, and has a simple ingredient list of things we always have.  If you like eggs and want to give it a try, head over to Bridget's blog.  And since I only got a couple pictures of this week's recipe, here's a picture of my not-quite-big-enough-yet sous chef (Gillian), borrowing her big sister's gear.  (Shhh, don't tell Brianna...)


Edited to add...  For someone who claims to not like eggs, I go through an awful lot of them.  I save the cartons to take to the daycare for projects.  Right now I have 18 empty cartons that I've collected over the past six months or so (based on the dates on them).  Wow.

25 comments:

  1. But do you like them on a train? In the rain?
    Ha ha, Sorry, I couldn't resist.

    For the record, I don't eat eggs by themselves - ever. Disguised is the way to go.

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  2. Well, I love custard, but then again, my opinion is that the egg is a perfect food. Love them any way you can cook them. But neither of my girls agree, and my husband has decided eggs are too unhealthy, so there aren't a lot of egg dishes at our house. Your custards look great, and you can't go wrong with two sous-chefs!
    Nancy

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  3. I love the picture of Gillian! That little outfit is great. I am feeling better about my choice to skip this one. I really liked the lemon cake I made. At least Jamie liked it!

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  4. Love the last photo, too cute!!

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  5. The more I read, the more glad I am that I did not attempt to make this. However, kudos to you for trying it even though you don't care for the eggs! It looks delicious. I might like it if it were really lemony flavored.

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  6. Sorry you didn't like it, but it looks wonderful.

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  7. CUTE little sous chef you've got there. She looks ready for action! Sorry you didn't enjoy this, but glad that Jamie did, and it really looks perfect -- smooth and creamy. I actually love eggs, but this wasn't my favorite. It wasn't the eggyness so much as the overall wrongness of my finished product. Oh well, on to next week!

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  8. How cute is Gillian!? Adorable! Your little girls are absolutely beautiful! Sorry you weren't a fan of this one! I hope next week's goes better for you!

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  9. Funny - I hated eggs when I was a kid and my sister LOVED them. Now...I like them, usually. Julia would eat twenty eggs a day if I let her; she can't get enough of them. Alex won't touch them at all.

    That picture of Gillian is wonderful!! What a cute little second sous chef she is!!

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  10. Well, my Jamie hates eggs so he would have been with you on this one. I found it a little too eggy myself but it was easy.

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  11. LOL LOL LOL What a cute button elf you have to help you in your kitchen!!! I can't recall seeing her... I do recall reading about her though!

    I understand better know, the insentive you have when baking such nice desserts!!!

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  12. We go through eggs like crazy in my house and there are only two of us. I buy two 12-egg cartons a week. We do love eggs though not just in baking.

    I'm glad you made the custards even though it wasn't your thing. At least Jamie enjoyed them. I love that last picture.

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  13. I have a daughter that used to tear eggs up when she was a baby, but gags at the thought now. :)

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  14. So I take it Green Eggs and Ham are NOT on your menu for the week. 8-) Too bad you didn't care for it, but custard is an acquired taste. Nice pics, tho'.

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  15. I wasn't a fan of this either even though I love eggs, especially fried (w/runny yolks!) or poached (same w/ the runny). Your pics looks great though!

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  16. Yep, way too eggy for most of us here...Mark is going to be eating a lot of custard this week. Yours looks good...and the little baker is darling.

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  17. TWD is helping the egg industry, I think. Love your daughter's chef gear!!

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  18. awww look at your little kitchen helper! so cute! sorry you weren't a fan of the recipe but at least you tried it :)

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  19. I'm glad you tried them...I made them knowing that I would give them away to an eggy loving friend! hee hee :) I'm really looking forward to next week's recipe!

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  20. Yours does look very smooth.
    Love the sous-chef!

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  21. Sorry it wasn't a bigger hit with you. Maybe next week's recipe.

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  22. Glad your husband at least liked it! Cute pictures :)

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  23. Your daughter is so cute!! Sorry you didn't like it.

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  24. What an adorable sous chef!!! Hey, at least you gave it a shot with this recipe, and you had others at home who enjoyed your handiwork. Nice work!

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  25. Okay, your daughter is just too precious. And thanks again for guilting me (in a good way!) into making this - I loved it! Sorry you weren't a fan, but I bet your husband was happy :)

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