Madagascan Vanilla Custard Recipe

Gather and chill

Remove eggs from fridge so they come closer to room temperature (about 10–15 minutes). Measure out milk, cream, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise with a sharp knife and scrape the seeds with the back of the knife into a small bowl; reserve the pod.

In a medium saucepan combine the whole milk, heavy cream, and the reserved vanilla seeds and pod. Warm over medium heat until the mixture is steaming and small bubbles form at the edge (do not boil), about 5–7 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.

Once steaming, remove the pan from heat, cover, and let the mixture steep for 10 minutes to develop a strong vanilla flavor. If you are using vanilla extract instead of a bean, wait to add it until after tempering the eggs (add 1 tsp to the finished custard).

While milk is steeping, place the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Add the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk vigorously until the mixture lightens slightly and becomes smooth and pale, about 1–2 minutes.

Remove the vanilla pod from the milk mixture and discard (or reserve for sugar). Slowly ladle about 1/3 cup of the hot milk into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly to temper the yolks and prevent curdling.

Continue adding the hot milk in two more additions, whisking constantly, until the yolk mixture is warmed through and smooth.

Return the tempered custard mixture to the saucepan. Cook over low to medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon, scraping the bottom and sides, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon (nappe), about 4–6 minutes. Do not let it boil.

To ensure smoothness, you may pass the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl.

While the custard is still warm off the heat, whisk in the unsalted butter until melted and incorporated. If you are using vanilla extract instead of a bean, whisk it in now (1 tsp). Taste and adjust salt or sugar if needed.

Cover the surface of the custard directly with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 2 hours, preferably 4 hours.

When ready to serve, stir the custard briefly to loosen, spoon into serving dishes, dust lightly with powdered sugar if desired, and garnish with fresh berries. Keep refrigerated and consume within 3 days.