STOVETOP CUSTARD RECIPES

Steps:

• In a separate bowl, whisk the 3 eggs (and the 2 eggs yolks, if using for a richer pudding), sugar, salt, cornstarch and the melted butter until fluffy.
• In a separate saucepan, heat the half and half (or cream) and the vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat until scalded (you'll see small bubbles on the sides of the pan). Do not boil.
• Add the heated cream very slowly to the egg mixture while mixing. Eggs need time to adjust to heat or they will curdle if they're exposed to heat too quickly.
• Pierce a piece of plastic wrap large enough to cover the custard in about a dozen places with the tip of a sharp knife or a toothpick.
• Place pierced plastic wrap directly onto surface and refrigerate to set. Before refrigerating a just-cooked or baked custard, let it cool about 5 - 10 minutes and then cover it with plastic wrap. Make sure it touches the surface of the custard to prevent the milk proteins from forming a thin crust on top when refrigerated.

Steps:

• Have eggs ready in a bowl, and set aside where it will be within reach.
• Using a whisk, combine milk, sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan over medium heat on stovetop. Allow milk to scald (heat to the point when tiny bubbles form around edges of pan). Whisk occasionally to prevent cornstarch from clumping on bottom edges of pan.
• Remove milk mixture from heat, preferably to a burner that's turned off.
• Mix about 2 tablespoons of scalded milk mixture into eggs using whisk, then introduce eggs into milk mixture in a slow stream, whisking milk mixture constantly.
• Immediately return pan to heat and whisk gently until custard thickens, another two or three minutes. Do not allow to boil. (If you find that you have egg white strands in custard, feel free to pass it through a fine-mesh sieve into a different bowl now.)
• Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla.