A heirloom recipe, Old Fashioned Boiled "Drinking" Custard, was once used regularly as a simple drink meant to sooth the sick. It's a rich and creamy beverage, just like Grandma used to make, delicious anytime and an excellent base for homemade eggnog.
Old Fashioned Drinking Custard
Looking for the best eggnog recipe? Well, look no further than old fashioned boiled custard, because that is the beginnings of a most excellent eggnog. I'm pretty sure that boiled custard, or "drinking" custard as it was once commonly referred to, is decidedly southern. Not only is it a traditional drink in The South for the holidays, but it was often used to comfort those in the sick bed. I do know one thing for sure, we southerners absolutely do love our custards, and we love them in many forms.
Homemade custard in banana pudding is simply to die for, but I love a good old fashioned custard pie or a simple baked custard myself. Boiled custard is an old timey recipe that you really don't hear much about anymore, but when Mike, one of our Facebook readers brought it up, I knew it was time it found a home here. Essentially, boiled custard is simply the base for eggnog, but minus the alcohol.
Calling it a "boiled" custard is really a misnomer though, since you don't ever want a custard to boil, but rather to cook slowly. It's a very basic cooked custard really, similar to homemade custard for banana pudding, only thinner, but using the same procedure with a double boiler, and frequent, near constant stirring.
You'll know that the custard is ready when it coats the back of a spoon and you can drag your finger through the middle, leaving a path. Since it's a drinking custard we strain it for creamy perfection. I use cheesecloth over a kitchen sieve.
Since this is the holiday season, I say go ahead and turn your drinking custard into a full-blown eggnog by the simple addition of some liquor, whether by the glass or by the bowl.
As always, drink responsibly.
In truth, however, folks have been drinking old fashioned boiled custard without liquor for years. Like all egg custards, boiled custard is just simply heaven in a cup.
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