In such a case, all the ingredients except the eggs may be
cooked the length of time they require, after which the eggs may be
added so that they will cook just long enough to become coagulated.
Longer cooking is liable to spoil the texture. Often the starchy mixture
retains sufficient heat to set the eggs without further cooking after
they are added.
43. A very nutritious way in which to prepare eggs when they are to be
used for a dessert is to combine them with milk to form a custard,
which, after being sweetened and flavored, is baked. The proportion that
has been accepted as ideal to produce a dessert of the right thickness
is one egg to each cupful of milk; however, an entire egg is not always
required, as one yolk is often sufficient to thicken 1 cupful of milk.
Care should be taken in the cooking of such custards, for if they are
cooked too long or at too high a temperature they will curdle and whey;
whereas, a properly cooked custard--that is, one cooked slowly at a low
temperature and for the required length of time--will have a smooth,
jellylike consistency. A slight variation in a dish of this kind is
secured by reducing the number of eggs and thickening it with corn
starch or some other starchy material. While such a mixture is not a
true custard, it makes an excellent dessert.
44. In the cooking of mixtures containing eggs, no utensil proves quite
so satisfactory as the double boiler, which has already been explained
and illustrated. In fact, it is almost impossible to cook an egg mixture
directly over the flame on account of the difficulty encountered in
preventing the eggs from curdling.
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