Let me start off by saying that I love custard. I will eat it anytime, anywhere, and will eat way too much of it at once! So when I accidentally substituted corn meal for cornstarch I still ate the end result because I love it so much! This recipe from that I found at foodgawker.com drew my attention because it seemed pretty easy and fruit was involved. So here was my major mistake when making this: the recipe calls for cornstarch... being a novice cook I thought that I could substitute the corn meal I already had for the cornstarch. Don't do this! While the custard was still good (and Jon had no complaints either) it was very very grainy. If you don't have corn starch on hand then it is recommended that you use double the amount of flour.
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 cups half-and-half
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter
Directions:
1) In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and cornstarch, whisking until the cornstarch is completely absorbed. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the half-and-half.
2) In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining half-and-half, sugar and salt and bring to a boil. Whisk 1/4 cup of the hot half-and-half mixture into the eggs, then slowly pour all of the egg mixture back into the boiling half-and-half, whisking constantly. The mixture will become very thick. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla and butter.
3) Transfer to a bowl and immediately press a piece of greased plastic wrap over the top of the cream to prevent a “skin” from forming.
4) Top with fruit of your choice.
