A small custard baking in a water bath
Temperance — Family Recipes & Simmering Traditions

Invalids Custard

Two Little Bowls from Aunt Virginia

Aunt Virginia was Grandmas sister, the youngest of them and the first to pass over. She was Moms favorite aunt, and these days I would call her a kitchen witch, though nobody used that word back then. When I talk to Mom now, Virginia is the one standing at her left, always in a flowing blue dress. What I remember most about her, though, is something much simpler than any of that: little bowls of custard, and she always made me two.

Mom called it invalid custard, and it was not until I got my hands on Grandmas recipe box that I understood why. According to what I have since found, this kind of custard was popular in the 19th century for exactly that reason — it is light, gentle on the stomach, easy to digest, the kind of thing you would make for someone recovering from being sick. I had never made it myself before now, but that changes today.

The Recipe

This one comes straight from Grandmas recipe box, written down for a single serving. Custard is not pudding, by the way — the texture is thicker, and that is really the only way I know how to explain the difference. Im already turning over whether I could swap the sugar out for something sugar-free next time I make it, but for now, here it is exactly as she kept it.

Ingredients — Makes 1 Serving

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a single ramekin or small cup with a little extra butter.
  2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan on low heat. Stir in the flour and mix until completely smooth, without letting it brown.
  3. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking. Bring to a gentle boil and stir continuously for 3 minutes until thickened, then remove from heat and let cool slightly.
  4. In a clean bowl, beat the egg white thoroughly until stiff peaks form.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk the warm milk-flour mixture and the sugar into the egg yolk until smooth.
  6. Gently fold the stiff egg white into the yolk-milk mixture, keeping as much air in it as possible. Pour it carefully into the greased ramekin.
  7. Place the filled ramekin inside a larger baking pan with high sides. Pour boiling or very hot water into the outer pan until it reaches halfway up the side of the ramekin.
  8. Carefully transfer the whole water bath into the oven and bake for about 18 to 22 minutes. The water bath protects the egg proteins, so it may take a few minutes longer to set than baking it dry.
  9. Bake until the custard is just firm to the touch but still holds a slight, gentle jiggle in the very center. Carefully remove the ramekin from the water and serve warm.

Per serving: 256.1 calories, 9.5g protein, 20.7g carbohydrates, and 15.1g fat. This makes a single serving — scale up if you are making it for more than one bowl. Or two, if you are anything like Aunt Virginia.

· ✦ ·
Two little bowls, every time. I never once asked her why. I just remember thinking that was simply how Aunt Virginia loved you.

There is something fitting about the fact that I only came to understand invalid custard through Grandmas handwriting, long after both women were gone. Aunt Virginia is still close, though — standing at Moms left, in blue, the way she always has. Some women leave you a recipe box. Some leave you a place at the table, even from the other side of it.

From the Table The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing:
thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.

Psalm 41:3 (KJV)