Now that we’re well and truly into Winter down here in the Southern Hemisphere, I decided today would be a great day to share some tips on making a great custard.  Custard is fantastic in the colder weather, and is very versatile, being able to use it with many different types of dessert (or even eat it on its own!).

Easy Custard Recipe Preparation

Stirred Custard

The standard test is to cook until mixture will coat the back of a metal spoon, not as easy to determine as it sounds because uncooked custard will also leave a film on a spoon.

The difference is that cooked custard should leave a thick, translucent, almost jellylike coat about the consistency of gravy. If you suspect that custard is on the verge of curdling, plunge pan into ice water to stop cooking.

Baked Custard

Insert a table knife into custard midway between rim and center (not in the middle as cookbooks once instructed). If knife comes out clean, custard is done. Remove at once from water bath and cool.

To chill quickly, set custard in ice water-but only if baking dish is one that can take abrupt changes of temperature without breaking.

What to Do About Curdled Custard

If it’s baked custard, the best idea is to turn it into a Trifle by mixing with small hunks of cake if stirred custard, strain out the lumps and serve as a sauce over cake, fruit, or gelatin dessert.

Caution: Keep custards refrigerated; they spoil easily, often without giving a clue.

Check out this excellent recipe for baked custard below…

Recipe Preparation: cooking and baking

Recipe Serves: 1

Ingredients for Beefsteak Marinara Recipe

Beef Steak Marinara Casserole

2 lb Top round beef, fat trimmed
2 tb Olive oil
1 Large onion, chopped
2 ts Minced or pressed garlic
1/2 lb Fresh mushrooms, thin sliced
1 tb Butter/margarine/olive oil
3 tb All-purpose flour
1 cn Condensed beef consomme
1/2 c Dry wine
1/4 c Tomato paste
2 tb Chopped parsley
1 ts Dried basil leaves
1 ts Dried oregano leaves
1 cn Stewed tomatoes (14.5 oz)
Hot cooked spaghetti
Salt
Pepper

Beefsteak Marinara Preparation

1. Cut meat into 3/4 cubes. Pour 1 tablespoon oil into a 10-12 frying pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add meat, a portion at a time, cooking until well browned; stir often. Transfer meat with a slotted spoon to a shallow 3 to 3 1/2 quart casserole.

2. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the frying pan along with onion, garlic, and mushrooms; stir often until onion is limp, about 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer mixture to casserole. Melt butter in frying pan, add flour, and stir until mixture bubbles. Smoothly blend in consomme, wine, tomato paste, parsley, basil, oregano, and tomatoes (break them up with a spoon) and liquid; stir until boiling.

3. Mix sauce with ingredients in casserole. Cover tightly with foil and bake in a 350′F. oven until meat is very tender when pierced, about 2 1/2 hours.

Serve over hot cooked spaghetti and add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4-5 cups.

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Recipe Preparation: cooking and baking

Recipe Serves: 4

Ingredients for Dirigibles Recipe

Filled Baked Potato Boats

4 lg Baking potatoes
1/2 c Diced cooked turkey or chicken or pork
1/2 c Diced cooked ham
1/4 lb Sharp Cheddar Cheese; diced, (1 cup)
1/4 lb Provolone cheese; diced, (1 cup)
1 lg Green pepper; seeded and diced
1 med Onion; chopped
1/2 c Butter or margarine
Commercial sour cream or yoghurt, for topping
Chopped chives
Crumbled cooked bacon

Dirigibles Preparation

Scrub potatoes under cold water and place, wet on a baking sheet. Begin cooking and baking potatoes at 400F until done, about 1 hour. Let potatoes cool to the touch.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out pulp, leaving nice little boats. Divide pulp in half, reserving half for other use.

Put a pat of butter in each shell. Mash remaining potato pulp and mix with onion, pepper, meat, half the cheese and a spoon or two of the sour cream. Spoon into each shell, leaving a well in the middle.

Divide remaining cheese into the wells and put a pat of butter on top. Chill overnight.

Heat at 375F until heated through.

Top with sour cream, bacon, and chives and serve with a nice green salad and a crusty bread.

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Recipe Preparation: cooking and baking

Recipe Serves: 8

Ingredients for Danish Hot Tamale Pie Recipe

Danish Hot Tamale Pie Recipe

1 c Onions; finely chopped
2 c Celery; finely chopped
1 Green pepper; finely chopped
1/4 c Parsley; chopped
1/2 c Sharp cheese; grated
2 lb Lean ground beef
2 cn Tomatoes
2 c (scant) tomato juice
1 cn Creamed yellow corn
2 c Yellow cornmeal
3 ts Salt or to taste
2 tb Chilli powder
2 tb Worcestershire sauce
1 ds Cayenne pepper
1 ds Tabasco
1 cn Ripe olives; pitted, chopped
1 Clove (large) garlic; finely chopped

Danish Hot Tamale Pie Preparation

Cook meat in bacon drippings with onions, garlic, celery, green pepper, parsley, canned tomatoes, and seasonings for about 30 minutes, no longer.

Gradually add cream corn, then stir in grated cheese. After it is melted, add cornmeal very gradually, stirring so it will not be gummy.

Stir in tomato juice (add slowly as mixture should be moist, not runny; you may not need full amount). Add ripe olives to the mixture.

Pour into a buttered casserole, and begin cooking and baking, uncovered, for 35 minutes in a 350F oven.

Serve piping hot.

This is truly a one dish dinner, and is especially good with green tossed salad and garlic bread.

This recipe can be made several days prior to serving; just store in refrigerator, unbaked, and let stand at room temperature before cooking & baking. Wonderful for a crowd and can be easily multiplied.

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Recipe Preparation: cooking and baking

Recipe Serves: 4

Ingredients for Deluxe Chicken Breasts Recipe

Deluxe Chicken Breasts Recipe

4 Boned and skinned chicken breast halves
2 Egg yolks
2 tb Water
1/2 c All-purpose flour
1 ds Salt
1 ds Black pepper
1 ds Paprika
1/4 c Bread crumbs
3 tb Parmesan cheese
4 tb Butter or margarine, divided
2 tb All-purpose flour
1 c Milk
1 ts Worcestershire sauce
1 tb Parmesan cheese
3/4 c Grated cheddar cheese

Deluxe Chicken Breasts Preparation

Place chicken breasts between pieces of waxed paper and flatten slightly with your hand. Whisk egg yolks with water.

Combine 1/2 cup flour, salt, pepper, paprika, bread crumbs and 3 T. parmesan cheese. Dip chicken breasts in egg yolks then roll in flour-crumb mixture.

Brown chicken breasts in 2 T. butter on both sides; place in shallow cooking and baking dish.

Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until done. In the meantime, prepare sauce by melted 2 T. butter in saucepan. Stir in 2 T. flour.

Slowly add the milk and cook, stirring until sauce thickens. Season with Worcestershire sauce, 1 T. parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese.

Transfer chicken to hot serving dish. Pour sauce over all.

Garnish with green pepper rings or strips if desired.  This is also one of my favourite easy chicken recipes.

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Recipe Preparation: cooking and baking

Recipe Serves: 8

Ingredients for Corned Beef with Rhubarb-Mustard Sauce Recipe

4 lb Corned beef brisket (trimmed of all fat)
4 Whole cloves
1 lg Onion
4 c Diced rhubarb (1/2 inch pieces)
1 c Sugar
1/4 c Coarse-grained dijon style prepared mustard
sm Red potatoes (optional)
Sugar snap pea pods (optional)
Chopped fresh thyme (optional)

Corned Beef with Rhubarb-Mustard Sauce Preparation

1. In an 8 qt saucepan, place brisket and enough water to cover. Insert whole cloves into onion and add to pot. Heat to boiling over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat 2.5 to 3 hours or until fork-tender.

2. Meanwhile, in a 4 quart saucepan combine rhubarb, sugar, and mustard until well mixed. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10-15 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Cool to room temp.

3. Heat oven to 400 F. Transfer brisket to small baking pan. Spoon 1/2 cup of rhubarb-mustard sauce on top of brisket. Begin cooking and baking for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. If desired cook potatoes in briskets cooking liquid. When potatoes are tender remove and cook pea pods in liquid. Put the remaining rhubarb-mustard sauce in a serving dish.

4. To serve, place brisket on serving platter. Place potatoes and pea pods on platter. Garnish with chopped thyme. Serve with additional sauce.

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Free Recipe Dutch Oven Steak Dinner

Recipe Preparation: cooking and baking

Recipe Serves: 1

Ingredients for Dutch Oven Steak Dinner Recipe

2 lb Round Or Sirloin Steak
4 lg Potatoes
4 Carrots
1 lg Onion
2 Sticks celery
2 c Tomato juice
1 ts Salt
1 tb Sugar
4 tb Minute tapioca

Dutch Oven Steak Dinner Preparation

Cut the steak into pieces and brown in a 12 inch Dutch Oven with a small amount of oil.

Drain off excess oil and add sliced carrots, celery, onion and potatoes cut into chunks.

Mix the tomato juice, salt sugar and tapioca and pour over the meat and vegetables.

Bake over medium coals for approx. 1 1/2 hour or until the meat is tender.

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Free Recipe Dutch Meat Loaf

Recipe Preparation: cooking and baking

Recipe Serves: 8

Ingredients for Dutch Meat Loaf Recipe

24 sm Pretzels; approximately
1 md Onion; quartered
1/2 Green pepper; cut up
4 Sprigs parsley
2 lb Lean ground beef
1/2 lb Ground pork
1 c Milk
2 Eggs
1 ts Salt
1/4 ts Poultry seasoning
1/4 ts Pepper
Salt pork slices

Dutch Meat Loaf Preparation

In covered blender jar, blend pretzels at low speed until finely crumbled (you should have about 1 cup).

Set crumbs aside in mixing bowl. Blend onion, green pepper and parsley at low speed until chopped.

Mix with crumbs, beef, pork, milk, eggs and seasoning. Line bottom of a loaf pan with thin slices of salt pork.

Pack meat mixture into pan. Bake at 350 F for 1 1/4 hours.

Serves 8.

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Free Recipe Godfather s Meatloaf

Recipe Preparation: cooking and baking

Recipe Serves: 6

Ingredients for Godfather s Meatloaf Recipe

2 lb Ground beef
3/4 c Bread cubes
1 cn Tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel)
2 Eggs; beaten
Salt & pepper
4 sl Boiled ham
6 sl Mozzarella cheese
1 Jar (15.75-oz) spaghetti sauce

Godfather s Meatloaf Preparation

Mix tomatoes, bread crumbs, eggs, salt & pepper with meat. Pat out in a rectangle shape.

Arrange 4 slices of ham on meat, leaving a 1-inch margin on edges.

Arrange 4 slices cheese over ham. Roll up in a jellyroll fashion.

Place seam side down in casserole.

Bake at 325F for 1 hour 20 minutes or until done. Drain off grease.

Put rest of cheese on top & pour spaghetti sauce over meatloaf.

Continue cooking and baking until cheese melts.

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Free Recipe Ham Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Recipe Preparation: cooking and baking

Recipe Serves: 6

Ingredients for Ham Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe

6 lg Cabbage leaves
2 c Boiled ham; diced
1-1/2 c Cooked rice
1 med Onion; chopped
1 Egg; beaten
1 tb Parsley flakes
2 cn Tomato soup
Salt & pepper to taste

Ham Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Preparation

Cook cabbage leaves in boiling, salted water until wilted; drain.

Combine ham, rice, parsley, onion, egg and 3/4 cup tomato soup.

Place about 1/2 cup of ham-rice mixture on each cabbage leaf; roll and secure with toothpicks or string.

Place cabbage rolls in casserole; pour remaining soup over cabbage; season to taste. Cover.

Begin cooking and baking in 180C oven for 30 minutes.

Serves 6.

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