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Custards can be a bit tricky to get "just right," but a couple of simple, and often overlooked, tips will keep your recipe fool-proof.

Temper Your Eggs. For some reason, many recipes omit this critical step. Most custard mixtures must be first heated in order to incorporate the ingredients, melt the sugar, and allow the flavors to properly marry. It is only after this step that beaten egg yolks are added to the recipe. The egg yolks serve to bind the custard into its ultimate gelatinous state, and add body to the final product. But if the beaten egg yolks are added into a hot liquid all at once, the yolks can cook and you end up with a rather unpalatable loose custard infused with scrambled eggs. The eggs, therefore must be "tempered."

Tempering is a simple, but critical step in custard making. To perform this task, instead of dumping the beaten eggs into the mixture, ladle about half a cup of the mixture into the eggs, whisking as you slowly pour. Repeat this step two or three times, until the egg yolks have come to roughly room temperature. This allows the eggs to slowly adjust to the heat, and will keep them from scrambling. Then, whisk the warmed egg yolk mixture into the custard dish. It is also a good idea to strain the final mixture into the baking dish, just to be sure any small pieces of eggs that may have cooked slightly do not end up in the final product.

Cook Custard in a Bain-marie. "Bain-marie" is a French term which, roughly translated, means "water bath." After pouring the custard mixture into the final baking dish or dishes, gently place the dish(es) into a pan filled with enough hot water so that the water level comes approximately half-way up the side of the dish(es). It is important to use hot water in this step. The bain-marie will allow the custard to cook evenly, and will prevent the sides and bottoms of the mixture from scorching.

These two steps will help you create a perfect custard and avoid the problems which are most commonly to blame for a failed custard dish.

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