HOT-WEATHER CATERING

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 101, 23 January 1933, Page 5

HOT-WEATHER CATERING

Custard for Coolness There is no sweet more suitable for hot-weather catering than custard. It is light, cool, aud nourishing, and to avoid monotony can appear in many forms. A smooth, thin custard is excellent for serving with stewed fruit; it is wanted for trifles; it makes the basis for many ice-cream mixtures, and can be used as sauce. It can be made-very easily with, the various custard powders on the market, but if made with eggs needs more care. Beat the eggs very well to avoid white lumps, and slightly warm the milk before pouring it on the eggs- Mix well together. Cook in a double saucepan over a low fire, stirring all the time, aud do not let the mixture boil. If it does boil it will curdle, and though it tastes as good, and is perfectly usable in icecream, it doesn’t look so nice for other purposes. An excess of zeal often causes this curdling business. Don’t leave, it in the saucepan over the boiling water when you have turned out the gas, or it will set in a mould, like a caramel custard badly cooked. Sweetening and flavouring are important. You always need a little more sugar than you*think, .and more flavouring, as heat .brings out the flavour, and cold reduces it. In addition to vanilla, almond, coffee, or chocolate, you can use the liqueur essences, such as maraschino or Kirsch, and if the custard is for a trifle it will have more “kick” if you use rum and add it to the custard just before you pour it over the sponge cakes. Baked custard can be varied with the addition of fresh or dried fruit, or made into savoury custards with cooked fish, shrimps;, or asparagus, using salt and pepper instead of sugar. Custard pie should be made in a very deep tin, and the crust baked first with rice or bread raspings in it to keep it down. A spoonful of jam beneath the custard makes a pleasant surprise, or it may be made with coffee, coconut, sultanas, or currants added to it.