How to Freeze Custard and Restore It

How to Freeze Custard and Restore It

Freeze custard and restore it in just 5 minutes – it’s so quick and simple! Normally, freezing custard/creme patissiere is an absolute NO-NO in the baking and pastry world. All info online clearly states that you cannot freeze custard/creme patissiere because it splits into oblivion. And it does.

But I’m here to tell you that you can FULLY restore thawed/defrosted watery custard! YAY! 😀

Context

I’ve been developing a recipe for a super exciting brownie (which I will share in the future) which requires creme patissiere. Not knowing how much custard I would need, I made the whole recipe and ended up with about 2,5 cups of it. After using only half a cup for my experimental brownies, I still had 2 cups left!

Of course I wouldn’t let the rest just sit in the fridge and go to waste. Without googling at all (which is quite unlike me) or thinking twice, I just popped the custard in the freezer.

Current Info on Freezing Custard

According to the whole web (cooking.stackexchange.com, thekitchn.com, nigella.com, chowhound.com, forums.egullet.org just to name 5) homemade custard should never be frozen as is and used again later. Apparently the best method to at least avoid waste is to make “frozen custard” aka ice cream! This requires a bit of effort though.

Once in the freezer, you need to whisk the custard every 30 minutes for 3 hours. This aerates the custard and keeps it smooth during the freezing process. The result is beautifully smooth frozen custard.

BUT, they all say you cannot freeze custard, thaw/defrost the custard and then use it again as custard due to the severe separation that cannot be rectified.

Unfortunately I only read all this info after my custard had been in the freezer for 3 weeks already! I left it on the counter to defrost for a few hours. It was a watery MESSSSS. I really did not expect this, but since I hate wasting, I was not going to throw it away.

Although it may not always seem so, I suffer from selective, slightly-above-moderate laziness. I go to extreme and labour intensive measures to achieve a “yum-high” in my cooking and baking, but for some things I just cannot be bothered.

I’m definitely not going to make creme patissiere 3 times a week. I’m also definitely not going to divide a single egg yolk in 3 so that I can make 100 ml of creme pat! There had to be a way to freeze custard and restore it.

My dad has this incredible line I’ve been quoting for years: “If you want to be lazy, you have to be clever.” So I put on my thinking cap…

The Science of Freezing Custard

I did a post a while back on how to fix and prevent chocolate ganache that has split. Both ganache and custard split when frozen. The ingredients are still 100% tasty, but the texture has transmuted completely. In one case it is the fat that separates and in the other case it is water.

Although ganache and custard are completely different, I firmly believed that their restoration processes would be very similar.

I decided to apply the same process I use on thawed ganache. Step one was to heat it on the lowest possible heat in a saucepan while stirring occasionally with a balloon whisk. It became looser, but was still very much grainy with a watery residue.

At that point I realized that custard is typically cooked at a much higher (boiling in fact) temperature. I upped the heat one setting higher. It started looking much better.

Another trick that works to re-emulsify split ganache, is adding warm milk. I heated 1 tablespoon of milk in the microwave and proceeded to whisk it into the warm custard.

After whisking a bit more vigorously (still with a balloon whisk) for about 10-15 seconds it smoothed out TO PERFECTION!!! SO rad! 😀

I got so excited! There was still a big concern that it just looked smooth, but upon tasting it I would end up writing that “the restored custard is 95% smooth!”. Not the case. At all. It is seriously 100% smooth! It tastes, looks and feels freshly made. Can’t believe it!

Method Recap

How to Freeze Custard

>> Put your left over creme patissiere / custard in a freezable cotainer.

>> Place in freezer.

Have some coffee, you’ve worked hard.

How to Thaw/Defrost Custard

>> Remove custard from the freezer and leave out on the counter to defrost for 3-4 hours.

Have some coffee, you’ve worked hard.

I wouldn’t recommend defrosting in a microwave for longer than 2 minutes. You may do that to get it going, but longer than that will start overcooking some parts of the custard. You can also place the sealed container in some warm water to speed up the process if you are in a hurry.

How to RESTORE Thawed/Defrosted Custard

>> Place the split custard in a heavy based saucepan (all of it, including the separated water).

>> Turn on the stove to the lowest possible setting. Stir the custard with a balloon whisk every 30 seconds so that it heats evenly and doesn’t catch on the bottom.

>> When the custard is warm to the touch, turn up the heat a bit more. Stir occasionally for about 2 minutes while it keeps heating up.

>> Heat 1 Tbsp Milk (I used 4,5% fat whole milk) in the microwave for 20 seconds. Use 1 Tbsp Milk for every 200 g of thawed custard.

>> Add the warm milk to the saucepan. Keep whisking the custard on the stove for another minute till it smooths out and comes together again. Take it off the heat before it starts to simmer/boil. Taste a tiny bit to make sure it is fully smooth.

Now you should have coffee AND a pastry covered in your amazing freshly made (thawed) custard 😉

Please let me know if you give this hack a go. Save yourself a mountain of effort and waste! Freeze custard and restore it because now you CAN!

Thanks for reading!

Chat soon!

Aurelia 🙂

What info are you looking for?

Hi! I’m Aurelia 🙂

I help home bakers get consistent, repeat orders, so they can stop hustling and enjoy calm, predictable income.

Free Home/Micro Bakery Business Plan Template

What info are you looking for?

philosophyofyum

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Don't throw out your split chocolate ganache! You can save it and make is 100% smooth & shiny! :D Click through for all the tips you need to fix and prevent split/oily/grainy chocolate ganache. #chocolateganache #splitganache #bakingtips #bakingtipsandtricks

Want to get that thin, super shiny crust on top of your brownies? Great news is, you don't need to drop your favourite brownie recipe in search of a shiny-top brownie recipe! You can use this simple baking tip to get a shiny crust on ANY brownie recipe that contains dairy and sugar! Click through to get the step by step method for baking brownies with a shiny crust on top... #baking #bakingtips #brownies #homebaking #bakingtipsandtricks

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How to Make Chocolate Shavings

How to Make Gorgeous Chocolate Shavings

Chocolate shavings were basically the first decorative thing I could associate with. In my first few years of baking the term “cake decorating” always scared me off.

It seemed like this super fancy skill which you can only acquire through years of studying and practice.

On top of all that I could not reach equilibrium in my mind over fondant and gum paste… I didn’t like them at all because they have NO FLAVOUR whatsoever, but it seemed like those are the only materials to use in cake decorating.

Should I give in? I guess it is okay that gum paste decorations are flavourless… isn’t it?

For me, the main reason I add anything to a cake is because it contributes to the flavour – a very honest and bare approach. And that’s me in a nutshell; I cannot pretend to save my life.

This meant I had to find a way to decorate cakes in an honest fashion. The simplest answer was this…

Quality Ingredients as Decorations

Taking an ingredient that is inside the cake already and presenting it in a beautiful way on top of the cake. To me the final product is incredibly inviting.

Beautiful chocolate curls and fresh berries call out to my taste buds, but silver deco balls just don’t get my mouth watering (anyone else feel the same way?).

If gum paste and fondant works for you in your cake decorating, that’s wonderful. We all have to discover what materials work for us and best represent, and express, us as creatives.

I am an honest purist at heart so if I approach cake decorating in the same way, I am way more likely to create a stunning product I am proud of and feel comfortable with.

Over the past 5 years I’ve discovered some nifty tricks to make cakes & cupcakes look spectacular in a matter of 5 minutes just by using ingredients to decorate my cakes.

It makes so much sense to me and the end result can hold its own next to a fondant cake any day 🙂 I would define my cake decorating style as “Purist Cake Decorating”.

Isn’t it Hard to Make Chocolate Shavings?!

Please don’t panic! You don’t need amazing skills to do this. I don’t have any qualifications in working with chocolate, but just figured things out as I went along.

This technique is super easy and quick, I promise! And the finish is just so beautiful. It immediately adds a professional edge to your cakes!

The technique for making chocolate shavings is simple in principle. Very simple. It comes down to pressing and dragging a knife over chocolate.

First place I saw this technique was on The Naked Chef (I NEVER missed an episode).

Jamie was decorating a chocolate tart or something and in seconds he made these stunning chocolate shavings that made his homemade tart look like a centerpiece in a French Bakery!

What I love about this technique is that you just use an ordinary bar of dark chocolate to make them.

No need to fuss about with baking sheets and vegetable shortening which is the case when making proper chocolate curls. No thanks, too much effort.

Only problem is that these regular chocolate shavings can often seem a bit skimpy.

I’ve discovered a few hacks however that end up giving you fuller chocolate shavings which give you something in between a chocolate shaving and a curl… a shurl! 😀 Officially a thing.

Chocolate curls are too “stiff and organized” for me and regular chocolate shavings can look a bit skimpy, so chocolate shurls are absolutely ideal!

How to Make Chocolate Shavings/Shurls

You’ll need:

A bar of Dark Chocolate (56% – 65% Cocoa Solids. Anything higher is too hard and anything lower is too soft.)

A hairdryer

A smooth edged chef’s knife

Ceramic plate

Method:

I’m giving you the method here in WRITING but, as you know, it often helps to SEE someone doing the things we want to learn, right?

That’s why I’ve created a Chocolate Shavings Video Tutorial to SHOW you how to create these gorgeous chocolate shavings 🙂 And it’s only $15! Click the blue link if you want to SEE how it’s done.

Here’s the Method in Writing:

Put on an apron made of thick fabric (very important!).

Put your knife and plate to one side so they don’t get warm from the hairdryer’s heat.

Place the bar of chocolate on your work surface, perpendicular to your tummy. Make sure the smooth side is facing up.

Hold your hairdryer about 20 cm away from the chocolate and turn it on to its lowest speed. Gently move the hairdryer up and down the length of the chocolate, all the while keeping the hairdryer at 20 cm distance.

You only want to soften the chocolate slightly! You don’t want it to melt. The surface of the chocolate should become dull, but not shiny (then you’ve gone too far).

Press and drag your knife over the surface of the chocolate, starting at the furthest end and dragging it towards you, bracing the chocolate with your tummy.

Do this in one, swift motion. Drag the knife over the chocolate as fast as you can!

The chocolate shavings will cling to the knife. Very gently, starting from the top, loosen, curve and roll the shavings onto your ceramic plate with your fingers.

Even after the shaving has been made you can manipulate it to curve a bit more since the chocolate has been softened slightly.

Some chocolate shavings will already be quite curled, so in such cases you can just push them off the knife onto the plate.

Carry on shaving till the soft surface chocolate is used up. Repeat hairdryer process again before making more chocolate shavings.

In summer I like to place the plate of chocolate shavings in the fridge for a minute, just to firm up the chocolate a bit.

These thicker chocolate shavings are not as fragile as regular chocolate shavings, so you can easily pick them up with your fingers and place them where you want without breaking them.

I use this method DAILY for making chocolate shavings. With them I decorate cakes, cupcakes, tarts… anything really. Minimum effort for maximum results. Nice!

Struggling to Get The Chocolate Shavings Right?

This technique does require some practice to get just right!

Maybe you’ve been trying and trying to create chocolate curls like these, but they’re just NOT cooperating…

And now you’re literally covered in chocolate and giving up hope…

But just wait a minute!

As you know, it often helps to SEE someone doing the things we want to learn, right?

That’s why I’ve created a Chocolate Shavings Video Tutorial to SHOW you how to create them 🙂 And it’s only $15!

And there’s another video tutorial for White Chocolate Curls which is also $15.

I hope you give this simple & delicious cake decorating technique a go and WOW your friends and family with your super snazzy chocolate curls.

And then you can be all like “Oh yes, I spent my whole day doing this incredible chocolate work because you all are just so worth it!” and then take an elaborate bow! 😉

Thanks for reading! Chat soon!

Aurelia

What info are you looking for?

Hi! I’m Aurelia 🙂

I help home bakers get consistent, repeat orders, so they can stop hustling and enjoy calm, predictable income.

What info are you looking for?

philosophyofyum

POPULAR BAKING TIPS

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Want to start a Home Bakery Business? Or maybe you have a business but you want more customers and consistent orders? Here's a free library full of resources, tips, tools, secret recipes and ideas to grow your Home Baking Business. Click through to access the free library! #homebakery #homebaking #bakingbusiness #cakebusiness

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One of the BEST ways to make your home bakery business stand out from your competition, is to pick a business name that actually attracts customers! In this post you'll get a behind the scenes look at what customers look for in a business name. You'll finally understand which types of business names attract them to a baking business, and which types of names put them off or bore them. Click the post to get the tips now! #homebakery #bakingbusiness #businessname #baking #homebaking

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How to Make Beautiful Swirls in Your Brownies

How to Make Beautiful Swirls in Your Brownies

Swirl brownies are so striking and beautiful! Defined, voluptuous swirls take any dessert to the next level.

Problem is, the swirl part can VERY easily become a murky MESS.

I’ve been making Cheesecake Swirl Brownies and Red Velvet Brownies for a few years now. In the process I’ve discovered some wonderful tips and tricks to give you perfect, defined swirls in brownies every time!

Since so many folks have been asking me to share my technique, I’ve also made a little video (below) so that you can see exactly what I do 🙂

Essential Basics of Swirl Brownies:

1. Consistency of Cheesecake Batter:

This is the most important point, truly.

The cheesecake batter you make an actual cheesecake with can be quite runny. Cheesecake batter used for swirl brownies is an entirely different batter altogether. Cheesecake batter for swirl brownies HAS to be thicker, but should still drop off a spoon in 2 seconds. If you follow your recipe to the T and it turns out runny, make it thicker.

You can do this in 2 different ways:

a] Make sure your ingredients are ice cold (not room temp) and beat the batter for 30 seconds – 1 minute. This usually works to thicken up the cheesecake batter.

b] Only try this after you’ve applied option 1 above. Beat some cold cream cheese in a separate bowl to remove any lumps (about 30 seconds). Beat the smooth cream cheese into your cheesecake mixture. This will definitely thicken it up.

If your cheesecake batter gets too thick, you can thin it out by stirring in 1 tablespoon of water at a time.

Another important note – always use NON-aerated cream cheese!
I also prefer using only egg white in the batter as it gives you a whiter cheesecake swirl.

2. Consistency of Brownie Batter:

What you are aiming for is to get the brownie batter and cheesecake batter more or less at the same consistency. This is absolutely crucial when making swirl brownies.

Brownie batter can often be quite warm and runny. You will need to firm it up a tad before attempting to swirl in the cheesecake mixture.

It’s super easy to do – just pop it in the fridge for 5 minutes. It should still move down slowly if you tilt the brownie tin, but you don’t want it to be completely chilled and stationary either.

If you accidentally chilled the batter too much, pop it in the oven for 1 minute at 350ºF/180ºC. This will soften the brownie batter again.

3. The Swirling:

For practical purposes I’m just typing out everything I mention in the video.

Place blobs of your cheesecake mixture over your brownie batter. Be sure to place blobs in the corners as corners can often look skimpy.
Flatten out each blob with the back of a metal spoon. Spread the cheesecake onto the sides of the tin – super important! During baking the cheesecake naturally moves a bit to the middle of the tin. Spreading the cheesecake onto the sides of the tin anchors your entire pattern.
Use a chopstick – NOT a butter knife – to swirl the mixture.
Drag the chopstick, in SMALL circular movements, through the cheesecake and into the “blank” brownie spaces.
Once a swirl has been made, leave it be. Going over it again will make it cloudy and messy.
Always keep a little bit of cheesecake batter aside to fill in gaps. Swirl these extra dollops again in separated, once off, swirl motions.

Here is a video I made earlier this week so that you can see the technique for yourself 🙂 A big thanks to my husband for holding the camera!

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Have you had any Swirl Brownies Issues? Please comment below because I would love to help!

Chat soon!

Aurelia 🙂

What info are you looking for?

Hi! I’m Aurelia 🙂

I help home bakers get consistent, repeat orders, so they can stop hustling and enjoy calm, predictable income.

What info are you looking for?

philosophyofyum

Got a question? Something to add? Let’s chat in the comments section down below! (I respond to every single comment)

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DIY Cupcake Liners – Quick and easy!

>> Full Cupcake Troubleshooting – 15 Mistakes and Solutions for Baking PERFECT Cupcakes
>> Advanced Tips for Baking PERFECT Cupcakes Every Time.

DIY Cupcake Liners

DIY cupcake liners are so simple to make!

I love using them for muffins as well because they give the muffin a fuller and more homemade appearance. It’s also WAY cheaper to make your own cupcake liners.

Marie-Anne Duarte asked me how I make my perfect DIY cupcake liners a few weeks ago, so this one is for you!

I can’t tell you how many times I have baked cupcakes and/or muffins and then, as you get to scooping out the last bit of batter, you realize you are 2 liners short!

This hack takes about 2 minutes from start to finish. In no time at all you will have your very own perfect DIY cupcake liners 🙂

Which Paper Works for Cupcake Liners?

Wax Paper does NOT work for this. It is too thin and a nightmare to get off the actual baked product. You end up peeling it away in shards.

Some of it you can’t even get off at all. Save yourself the hassle and just don’t even attempt to do this with wax paper.

Top quality baking/parchment paper, like GLAD, does not work either. It is TOO non-stick. It is brilliant for lining brownie and cake pans, but not for making DIY cupcake liners. The paper comes right off the cupcake.

What we need is a paper that sticks to the baked product just enough so that it only peels off when you actually peel it off.

In grocery stores and baking stores you will find medium quality baking/parchment paper that is typically brown or white in colour. Brands like Unsgaard and Sylko.

In baking stores, their baking paper is often not even from a particular brand. They buy it in bulk in giant rolls and make their own smaller rolls from it to sell to their clients.

This baking/parchment paper is often non-stick on just one side or not even really non-stick at all. THIS is the paper you need.

Want to add a rustic look to your cupcakes or muffins? Or maybe you've just run out of cupcake liners! Either way, these homemade DIY cupcake liners/cases are exactly what you need. They're quick & easy to make - and super cheap too! Click through to get the full step-by-step tutorial... #cupcakeliners #cupcakecases #cupcakes #homebaking #bakingtips

2 Sides of the Parchment Paper

As I said, some baking/parchment paper has one non-stick side. Make sure that this non-stick side does NOT touch the muffin or cupcake. Otherwise it will slip right off. Make sure the dull side ends up on the inside of your DIY cupcake liners.

1. Cutting Your DIY Cupcake Liners

If you buy your baking/parchment paper in a roll, it makes life super easy. These rolls are generally about 45 cm in width.

Place the roll horizontally before you on a counter top. With your ruler placed vertically, measure 13 cm and mark it with a pencil.
Fold the paper over. Make sure the sides line up 100%. Look out for your mark.
Press down with your one hand, on the mark, and hold it there.
Let your other hand slide and press along the paper to create an even fold all the way to the other side. Slide over the fold with your nail again to secure it. You have now folded one long strip that will be turned into 4 DIY cupcake liners.
You can fold over the paper again multiple times like an accordion if you need to make lots of liners.
Cut the paper along the folds so that you end up with long strips of 13 cm x 45 cm.
Place 2 strips precisely on top of each other. Fold them over in half. Press down and secure the fold with your nail. Cut along the closed end so that you have 4 strips of 13 cm x 22,5 cm.

Place 4 strips precisely on top of each other. Fold them over in half. Press down and secure the fold with your nail. Cut along the closed end so that you have 8 liners of 13 cm x 11,25 cm.

2. Folding Your Cupcake Cases

You’ll need a muffin/cupcake tin and a cup, measuring cup or ANYTHING that fits snugly into the holes of your tin. For me it is a large bottle of Cerebos Salt. Whatever you are going to use, let’s call it a “squeezer”.

Place a single piece of paper over a hole – as centralized as possible. Remember at this point to have the one non-stick side facing DOWN (if you are using a paper with one non-stick side). The non-stick side should not be in contact with the cupcake/muffin.
Press down with your squeezer over the paper, into the hole.
Roll around the squeezer to force the paper into the bottom of the hole.

The “ears” of your DIY cupcake liners will be a bit uneven and random. Use your thumb and index finger to grab each one and flatten it out. Especially the base of each ear. Do this with all 4 ears. You can twist you squeezer to access all the ears. You don’t need to turn the pan every time.
Press each ear tightly up against your squeezer.

Firmly roll around your squeezer again to really imprint that hole’s shape in the paper.

3. How to Spoon Batter into the Homemade Liners

Now you will notice that the ears of the DIY cupcake liners are facing up. This will give you cupcakes that bake with North, South, East and West points, instead of nice and round. Here’s how you fix that.

Spoon your batter into your liners. You need the weight of the batter to keep the liner down.
Press down and open up the 4 ears (see image above right).
Bake as normal!

Additional Notes

If you used the right paper it will not peel away from the cupcake/muffin by itself. You can lift the baked goods out of the tin by holding onto the ears of the liner – don’t be scared, it won’t pull away.

If you have any questions, please comment below because I would love to help!

Obsessed with Baking PERFECT Cupcakes?

I thought so! Here are 2 blog posts that’ll help you to bake flawless cupcakes every single time:

Chat soon!

Aurelia 🙂

What info are you looking for?

Hi! I’m Aurelia 🙂

I help home bakers get consistent, repeat orders, so they can stop hustling and enjoy calm, predictable income.

What info are you looking for?

philosophyofyum

POPULAR BAKING TIPS

Got a question? Something to add? Let’s chat in the comments section down below! (I respond to every single comment)

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Grainy Ganache (Broken/Oily/Split) – SAVE it & PREVENT it!