Budino

A stirred custard set with egg alone, cooked just to the point where it coats a spoon.

Egg. Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains egg, dairy (whole milk).

Ingredients

• 600 ml whole milk
• 6 egg yolks
• 120 g caster sugar
• 30 g cornflour
• a strip of lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Warm the milk with the lemon peel until it steams, then take it off and leave it 15 minutes. Lift the peel out.
2. Whisk the yolks, sugar and cornflour to a pale paste.
3. Pour a ladle of the warm milk into the yolks while whisking, then another, then return the lot to the pan. Tipping hot milk straight onto yolks scrambles them.
4. Cook over a LOW heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and reaching into the corners, until it thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon and hold a line drawn with a finger. That is 8 to 10 minutes.
5. IT MUST NOT BOIL. At a boil the egg protein tightens and squeezes the water out, and a smooth custard turns grainy in about four seconds. If you see a bubble, lift the pan off and beat hard.
6. Stir in the vanilla, pour into glasses, and press cling film onto the surface so no skin forms.
7. Chill 4 hours. It sets as it cools, so judge the thickness hot and you will overcook it.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Italy · All recipes