I chose this recipe, so I wanted to get a head start on making it. I thought it was pretty good, but the lemon flavor is not very strong. I didn’t add lemon extract.
I was expecting the texture to be richer, but it’s pretty eggy. In retrospect, that should have been obvious based on the ingredients, which are fairly light.
I think mine cooked a little faster than the recipe indicated it would. I took them out a few minutes early, and they were only barely jiggly in the center. The temperature read from an instant-read thermometer inserted in the middle of one custard was 180 degrees – 170 or 175 is probably a better temp to aim for.
Altogether though, I thought it was an easy, light, refreshing dessert. But if you’re someone who doesn’t like the texture of baked custard or flan, this might not be for you.
I added lemon extract and DH thought they still weren’t very lemony. The kids and I thought they were way too eggy. Mine took an extra 30 minutes to get rid of too much jiggle. Since we weren’t wild about them, I’m putting the leftovers into the ice cream maker and turning the rest into frozen custard this afternoon.
I made mine the other day. It has a firm texture, almost like lemon jello. I think these would be over the top if I sprinkled sugar over the cooked custard and torched it. Hmm, now there’s an idea!
I made the vanilla bean version and it was also very eggy. In hindsight I should have known this because it has the same sort of subtle vanilla/heavy egg flavor of a vanilla souffle. Mine also cooked a little faster than the recipe said that they would so be sure and keep a close eye on them as they get close to being done!
Kristen, how much extract did you use? How much would you recommend? Thanks! I’m really looking forward to these :)
I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one! Mine cooked faster than the recipe indicated (though I did cut the recipe in half) and was very eggy. I was going to try it again but since so many of us had the same result, I will move on to something else.
Eggy???? Flan-like???
That doesn’t bode well for my tastebuds… but at least I know what to expect now!
I can’t remember what I used, but it was whatever Dorie recommended in the recipe. I would double it. I’m putting it in the ice cream maker in a little bit to see if that “improves” it enough for the kids and I. I’m trying to think of a way to make it less eggy–DH suggested adding heavy cream to the ice cream maker too.
I got eggy too and very little lemon flavor without the extract- and I even used extra zest. If I were to do it again, I would use the extract and let the milk/zest steep awhile longer.
For a less eggy, richer texture, it might help to replace the milk with light or heavy cream.
I also wonder if making it with just the yolks would help?
Oh, eggy? Hmmm…that kinda kicked in my gag reflex :-( Sadness! I was looking forward to a deliciously tangy lemon pudding.
Crap. I read all of the posts and adjusted my recipe – I only used 2 eggs, a little more than 2/3 the amount of milk, and about 1/3 cup sugar. I used all the zest of the lemon, as I wanted tangy. Then, i used a whopping 1/4 tsp of lemon extract.
Still eggy, not tangy and lemony, just – blachhhh. It screams for something to CHEW on. I am very curious to see how this pans out for the ones who turn it into ice cream.
The texture is like flan, which I just can’t tolerate…but I got some pretty decent pics out of it and that’s what counts, right??!! :)
All in all, I will NOT be making this(in any playing around version either) again. It’s just too eggy even using less eggs.
I wonder? Can you rub the zest in the sugar? Would that release more flavor?
For some reason, I thought this was more like a lemon pudding (or even curd)… hm. After ALL your attempts, I’m not holding out any hope that mine will be an better! Sorry to hear most of you aren’t excited about the final dessert – but do appreciate all your “pre-baking” tips!!!
Is there any way to avoid the eggy-ness? Or is that just the way it is? I’d rather not make it if it’s inevitable because I can’t stand eggy-ness!
Eggy huh?
That makes me not want to make it. I hate to waste perfectly good ingredients on something that we just won’t eat…just so I can post a TWD…
Hmmm…
Sorry that so many of you aren’t happy with the custard being eggy. Eggy is really what this custard is about. It’s meant to be jiggly, not Jello-y and it is, as some of you said, like flan. Making it less eggy, is making it a different recipe, so this just might be something that those of you who don’t care for this kind of texture, might want to skip. If you want a more lemony flavor, you can rub the lemon zest into the sugar, the way you’ve done with other lemon-and-sugar recipes, and you can add lemon extract or lemon oil — oil being stronger than extract.
Hope this helps a little.
I quartered the recipe (done by weight instead of measuring cups) and got two small servings- so that’s always an option if your not sure this recipe is for you but still want to try it.
I’m curious to make this. I do like flan, so maybe the “egginess” won’t bother me? I’m definitely going to do the zest/sugar rubbing and might make some sort of lemon syrup to put on the top.
Hmmm I don’t want to miss this TWD since I missed the Chocolate Armagnac Cake. Im going to fiddle with it and see what I come up with. Im like you all ,the eggy part does not thrill me.
Im glad Dorie wrote her comment. It’s the way the recipe is and I guess we can try it, eggy and all, or skip it.
Well, I do like flan. Now I want to try it just for curiousity sake!
Thanks for all the heads up. I just made mine and they’re resting on the counter. I did the lemon/clove version and ended up steeping it for over an hour. It’s pretty fragrant. As for eggy, it is what it is.
just like flan but without the caramel, is exactly what i thought of this (i made the lemon-clove version). i LOVE flan, but it’s that caramel that makes it so good…without it, this custard is just kinda boring.
I just made mine. I did a few different things and was very pleased with the way it turned out!
I would suggest making a flavor combo that is more intense than the lemon turned out to be. I think the egginess is so pronounced because the lemon flavor is so subtle.
I’m having second thoughts about this recipe – eggy is a problem – I made something a bit eggy a while back and took it to work. It was not liked at all. So I think I’ll make a lemony item, and lemon curd instead.
I like custard but the creme anglaise type. I’m not sure about set custard or eggy set custard at that! I’ll give it a go and see how it turns out. I might surprise myslef ;)
I like custard but the creme anglaise type. I’m not sure about set custard or eggy set custard at that! I’ll give it a go and see how it turns out. I might surprise myself ;)
Thanks for everyone’s feedback and especially thank you to Dorie for chiming in to say that is the correct texture. I have to admit, I’m not a flan fan, but that isn’t going to stop me from trying this. If I didn’t make the recipe everytime there was something I didn’t like about it I would miss out on trying a lot of new things and finding a lot of new loves. So, even though I’m not sure I’m going to like it, I won’t know unless I try. You never know, right?
Maybe making a little something to go with it to offset the texture would help, like making it into a tart, or ice cream, or something. We’ll see.
I have to laugh you could seriously add some chunks of ham, bacon or sausage and have a eggy/meaty meal in a cup!
These are very much like flan texture wise. I made 2 versions, a lemon-lavender and the coffee-cinnamon. I liked them ok, but they didn’t go over well with the kids or Mr. I added in extra lemon extract and extra coffee powder and I didn’t think they were eggy. The flavors really hid it, I think.
…oh, I also baked mine 6 minutes more, just to be sure they set (they didn’t even jiggle). After a few hrs in the fridge they were perfectly set.
made the recipe as is- in a word…bland. debating about trying again but unsure how to make it better.
I won’t be making this one.
I just don’t want to waste ingredients.
I’m curious – I have emailed the TWD gmail twice now hoping to be approved for a rewind, but nothing in response. :o(
I have been dying to use up some lemons and came here to find the Lemon Cup Custard for this week. Yay! And to read the texture is like flan? Even better! I’m all over this like you can’t imagine :)
I just tasted the custard. And that’s what it is custard. Steeping the cloves & lemon rind for a full hour made for a bright flavor. Refreshing.
HoneyB/Shelby – I doubt that you’ll get permission to do a rewind for this week. The purpose of the rewind is to allow for bakers to participate who don’t want to go out and buy some special equipment or pan required for the recipe, not for those who don’t care for a particular taste. That just isn’t in line w/the spirit of TWD. Like Holly of Phemomenon stated, you just won’t know until you try. I can’t tell you the number of times I tried a TWD recipe even though it didn’t look appealing at all to me… only to discover that I loved it! :)
That said, you can still do another TWD recipe, it just won’t count towards the participation requirement.
Well if that were to be the case I just won’t participate. I can’t handle eggy dishes since my surgery which is why I stay away from them. I just don’t want to be “kicked” out of the group for non participation.
I tasted the milk after it had steeped for an hour and it was bland, so I added about 2 tbsp. of vanilla extract. It seemed like a lot to add, but it’s how much was needed to make the milk taste flavourful. The finished product is pretty tasty, and I think the vanilla saved the custard from tasting eggy, although my boyfriend didn’t like the flavour of the cloves. I think the vanilla saved the day, though, because I couldn’t taste the lemon very much.
P.S. I also used the lemon extract.
I happen to love custard in any form, so I halved the recipe and made one batch of lemon and one of cinnamon-coffee. Both tasted great. I used lemon oil in the lemon batch and it was very lemony. I can see playing around with lots of flavors here.
As I was reading through some of the comments my hubby was reading with me. I got a gag face from him and flan gives me the same reaction. I want to make this but I don’t want to let it sit around and not get eaten either. I think I am sitting out this week. Can’t wait for the next two recipes though! :)
We like ‘spoon desserts’ of all kinds, so the jiggly, flan-type custard would have been fine with me. I used duck eggs and got a very pudding like consistency (not jiggly), which we also liked. I ventured off on a different flavor tack; it was interesting and good. Oh, and it cooked very quickly – I’m glad I just happened to peek into the oven.
Nancy
I made them last night. I tasted a after it was refrigerated for a few hours…. fantastic! Creamy, lemony… however, I don’t drink whole milk, so when I need it for a recipe, I substitute with a can of evaporated milk. I also added a few lemon oil drops to the milk/zest “steeping” and another few drops when whisking the custard. Very good! Not like traditonal, “curd-like” custard… maybe the evap. milk was the trick? I had to cook mine for the full 45 minutes though… or maybe they were done, it was kind of hard to tell. Hope that helps!
Did anyone try a variation beyond the standard lemon? I’m contemplating different flavors…
Caitlin, if I were going to make this (I can’t eat anything too eggy, makes me ill)….I would consider POM juice instead of lemon….
Wow, surprised to see so many people who don’t do eggy, I thought I was a minority, I can’t stand anything eggy or eggs.
Anyway, I plan to try a half batch and cook it up anyway just to participate, I will offer it to the kids and husband, and make a non-eggy lemon treat on the side. The title of this recipe has gotten me in a lemon mood that I won’t be able to shake until I make something with lemon :)
Caitlin, I made this the same time I made the lemon yogurt cake, so wanted to do something other than lemon. I did a bay leaf/nutmeg variation, and we really liked it.
I love lemon so I’m excited to try this. You never know. My milk is steeping right now- I did some extra zest and will add some extra vanilla too and it sounds delicious. I figure for about a bucks worth of ingredients it’s worth the risk, right? :) I’ll let you know how it turns out!
My custards are in the oven now. I added fresh raspberries to each cup and I think I’ll brulee them as Megan suggested for extra yumminess.
we just ate this- not what you might expect, but still quite good. It didn’t taste of eggs, it just tastes like a egg-custard should. I’m glad we tried it- I cut down the recipe, which I often do when I might not like something or it is just for the two of us.
Ooo – pomegranate juice? Neat idea! And bay leaf and nutmeg? *swoon*
I’m going to skip this week because I hate anything described as “eggy.” Thanks for the heads up.
This did not work out for me. Hard to know exactly where it all broke down, but I’m thinking that I cooked it at least 10 minutes too long. I set the timer for 40 minutes and then moved on to other things, and by the time it beeped, it was way past the jiggly stage. It was eggy, which I could have dealt with, but I couldn’t deal with the texture, which resembled broken up Jello bits. I don’t have much custard eating experience, so I don’t really know what a good custard is supposed to taste like, but I do know that mine ain’t it.
Caitlin, I used 6 whole cloves and 3 whole cardomom pods, crushed, to a recipe and one half. Also, used a few drops of lemon oil. I was having an Indian theme dinner and served it. The cardomom added an interesting scent and flavor. It was a success. lola
So glad to have made this recipe – “fantastic” is the only word to describe it. I will definitely make this one again and again and again :)
HoneyB – Since there are people still on the blogroll that haven’t posted since November, I kind of doubt you’ll get “kicked off” for missing a week ;)
I made these several days ago. I am a huge fan of custard, I am British born and custard is a fond childhood memory. Unfortunately, the custard I am in love with is more of a pudding texture, this was a flan texture, which invokes my gag reflex. The taste was subtle but nice, so instead of wasting it I made a quicky bread pudding with it. I had also made the lemon yogurt cake and had a little bit left of that. So I cut that into cubes, tossed it into a individual sized casserole dish, put the custard over the top and baked it for 30 minutes. It was a lovely breakfast :)
I just finished mine. I subbed half of the milk with cream. I added double the lemon zest, a sqeeze of fresh lemon juice and about 1/8 teaspoon lemon extract. I baked for exactly 40 minutes. It was still not a strong lemon taste, but more like a hint of lemon.
The texture was very nice… aaaalmost pudding-ish. It jiggled more than I thought it should when I took it out of the oven, but I thought underbaking would probably be better than over.
Maybe custard is an aquired taste. I didn’t used to like it much, but I’ve grown to like it more and more.
The way I see it, I’d like to be able to brag someday that I baked *every* recipe from the book… so that means taking the good with the bad. If you cut the recipe in half or even quarter it, it’s not a lot of ingredients. :) But that’s me!
I made the custard last night. I added fresh raspberries to each cup before baking and bruleed the tops! It was great!
Amanda- We actually just cleaned house and around 100 people were removed. (I still need to remove them from the rotation.) If there are still people on the blogroll “haven’t posted since November”, feel free to send them in. We are doing our best to keep track.
My apologies, I didn’t mean that critically at all, I was just trying to put HoneyB’s mind at ease! I know you do this for free for all of us and I don’t want you to think I don’t appreciate it, because I do! I’m sorry if that came out to sound critical of you, it most definitely wasn’t meant that way!
i made this yesterday and just tried it today. i made a half recipe b/c i wasn’t sure if i would like it. i was able to get one tea cup full and then one creme brulee dish full w/the half recipe. it definitely tastes like flan, which i love but my hubby hates (so i’m glad i halved this).
i got a very nice lemon flavor in mine. very obvious but not overwhelming. i used 1/2 of the zest in the milk and let is steep for 1 full hour. then the other 1/2 of the zest i rubbed w/the sugar. i added just a drop of lemon extract since i was halving the recipe and dorie says to just add 1/8 tsp in a full recipe
it was good. not necessarily something i’ll make over and over again, but i’m glad i tried it. i don’t feel like i really wasted much in the way of ingredients – i only used 2 eggs, about a cup of milk and some sugar. i always zest my lemons/limes and save the zest in the freezer for recipes like this.
Hmm, I was going to skip this week because life is insane, I haven’t even made hamentashan, and we are leaving for an extended trip, but opinions are so strong on this and the recipe is so easy, that I think I want to give it a try. I like flan, so odds are good.
It is so great to hear what all of you have said!!! I made the vanilla version and was COMPLETELY disappointed. Of course, I thought it was just me! But mine also seemed eggy and rubbery and with very little flavor. I wrote about it nonetheless on my blog, which was fun. But…I wouldn’t ever make this again. Thanks for all of your comments, which really feel supportive!
I added the juice of two lemons instead of extract or oil, put a little powdered sugar on top of my non-giggly dessert, and it tasted fabulous! I’ve already made it twice! :)
By the way, I never would have tried to modify the recipe if it hadn’t been for all of the comments I read here. So thanks for the heads up!
The husband and I just ate this for lunch and we loved it- now I am sorry that we cut the recipe in half. I made it vanilla and used twice the extract and it was delicious.
After reading everyone, I almost passed. But I wanted to know for myself. And, it’s so easy and very few ingredients. Mine turned out perfectly, whether you like the flavor/texture or not. I drizzled powder sugar/lemon glaze on top — just ok. And then I just spritzed it with cold, fresh lemon juice. This was actually quite nice.
YUM, YUM, YUM!
The Lemon Cup Custard was quite a hit! I should disclose that eggy custards are popular in my house. The only thing I would change is trying lemon oil instead of lemon extract for a stronger lemon taste. Also not sure why I got a slightly brown ring around the edges of the custard cups. Did this happen to anyone else?
On a funny note, this recipe is on page 387 and page 386 was real Butterscotch Pudding. We all made this in late December. That was quite a hit at work. I think I might be doing a repeat this week!
I loved the custards. I made the Cinnamon-Coffee and Orange-Star Anise. I just doubled the Cinnamon and Orange to get the flavor I wanted :)
The point to this group is to experience new things. If you don’t take a chance you will never know if you like it or not. You might just surprise yourself :)
Tuesdays with Dorie 
I chose this recipe, so I wanted to get a head start on making it. I thought it was pretty good, but the lemon flavor is not very strong. I didn’t add lemon extract.
I was expecting the texture to be richer, but it’s pretty eggy. In retrospect, that should have been obvious based on the ingredients, which are fairly light.
I think mine cooked a little faster than the recipe indicated it would. I took them out a few minutes early, and they were only barely jiggly in the center. The temperature read from an instant-read thermometer inserted in the middle of one custard was 180 degrees – 170 or 175 is probably a better temp to aim for.
Altogether though, I thought it was an easy, light, refreshing dessert. But if you’re someone who doesn’t like the texture of baked custard or flan, this might not be for you.
I added lemon extract and DH thought they still weren’t very lemony. The kids and I thought they were way too eggy. Mine took an extra 30 minutes to get rid of too much jiggle. Since we weren’t wild about them, I’m putting the leftovers into the ice cream maker and turning the rest into frozen custard this afternoon.
I made mine the other day. It has a firm texture, almost like lemon jello. I think these would be over the top if I sprinkled sugar over the cooked custard and torched it. Hmm, now there’s an idea!
I made the vanilla bean version and it was also very eggy. In hindsight I should have known this because it has the same sort of subtle vanilla/heavy egg flavor of a vanilla souffle. Mine also cooked a little faster than the recipe said that they would so be sure and keep a close eye on them as they get close to being done!
Kristen, how much extract did you use? How much would you recommend? Thanks! I’m really looking forward to these :)
I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one! Mine cooked faster than the recipe indicated (though I did cut the recipe in half) and was very eggy. I was going to try it again but since so many of us had the same result, I will move on to something else.
Eggy???? Flan-like???
That doesn’t bode well for my tastebuds… but at least I know what to expect now!
I can’t remember what I used, but it was whatever Dorie recommended in the recipe. I would double it. I’m putting it in the ice cream maker in a little bit to see if that “improves” it enough for the kids and I. I’m trying to think of a way to make it less eggy–DH suggested adding heavy cream to the ice cream maker too.
I got eggy too and very little lemon flavor without the extract- and I even used extra zest. If I were to do it again, I would use the extract and let the milk/zest steep awhile longer.
For a less eggy, richer texture, it might help to replace the milk with light or heavy cream.
I also wonder if making it with just the yolks would help?
Oh, eggy? Hmmm…that kinda kicked in my gag reflex :-( Sadness! I was looking forward to a deliciously tangy lemon pudding.
Crap. I read all of the posts and adjusted my recipe – I only used 2 eggs, a little more than 2/3 the amount of milk, and about 1/3 cup sugar. I used all the zest of the lemon, as I wanted tangy. Then, i used a whopping 1/4 tsp of lemon extract.
Still eggy, not tangy and lemony, just – blachhhh. It screams for something to CHEW on. I am very curious to see how this pans out for the ones who turn it into ice cream.
The texture is like flan, which I just can’t tolerate…but I got some pretty decent pics out of it and that’s what counts, right??!! :)
All in all, I will NOT be making this(in any playing around version either) again. It’s just too eggy even using less eggs.
I wonder? Can you rub the zest in the sugar? Would that release more flavor?
For some reason, I thought this was more like a lemon pudding (or even curd)… hm. After ALL your attempts, I’m not holding out any hope that mine will be an better! Sorry to hear most of you aren’t excited about the final dessert – but do appreciate all your “pre-baking” tips!!!
Is there any way to avoid the eggy-ness? Or is that just the way it is? I’d rather not make it if it’s inevitable because I can’t stand eggy-ness!
Eggy huh?
That makes me not want to make it. I hate to waste perfectly good ingredients on something that we just won’t eat…just so I can post a TWD…
Hmmm…
Sorry that so many of you aren’t happy with the custard being eggy. Eggy is really what this custard is about. It’s meant to be jiggly, not Jello-y and it is, as some of you said, like flan. Making it less eggy, is making it a different recipe, so this just might be something that those of you who don’t care for this kind of texture, might want to skip. If you want a more lemony flavor, you can rub the lemon zest into the sugar, the way you’ve done with other lemon-and-sugar recipes, and you can add lemon extract or lemon oil — oil being stronger than extract.
Hope this helps a little.
I quartered the recipe (done by weight instead of measuring cups) and got two small servings- so that’s always an option if your not sure this recipe is for you but still want to try it.
I’m curious to make this. I do like flan, so maybe the “egginess” won’t bother me? I’m definitely going to do the zest/sugar rubbing and might make some sort of lemon syrup to put on the top.
Hmmm I don’t want to miss this TWD since I missed the Chocolate Armagnac Cake. Im going to fiddle with it and see what I come up with. Im like you all ,the eggy part does not thrill me.
Im glad Dorie wrote her comment. It’s the way the recipe is and I guess we can try it, eggy and all, or skip it.
Well, I do like flan. Now I want to try it just for curiousity sake!
Thanks for all the heads up. I just made mine and they’re resting on the counter. I did the lemon/clove version and ended up steeping it for over an hour. It’s pretty fragrant. As for eggy, it is what it is.
just like flan but without the caramel, is exactly what i thought of this (i made the lemon-clove version). i LOVE flan, but it’s that caramel that makes it so good…without it, this custard is just kinda boring.
I just made mine. I did a few different things and was very pleased with the way it turned out!
I would suggest making a flavor combo that is more intense than the lemon turned out to be. I think the egginess is so pronounced because the lemon flavor is so subtle.
I’m having second thoughts about this recipe – eggy is a problem – I made something a bit eggy a while back and took it to work. It was not liked at all. So I think I’ll make a lemony item, and lemon curd instead.
I like custard but the creme anglaise type. I’m not sure about set custard or eggy set custard at that! I’ll give it a go and see how it turns out. I might surprise myslef ;)
I like custard but the creme anglaise type. I’m not sure about set custard or eggy set custard at that! I’ll give it a go and see how it turns out. I might surprise myself ;)
Thanks for everyone’s feedback and especially thank you to Dorie for chiming in to say that is the correct texture. I have to admit, I’m not a flan fan, but that isn’t going to stop me from trying this. If I didn’t make the recipe everytime there was something I didn’t like about it I would miss out on trying a lot of new things and finding a lot of new loves. So, even though I’m not sure I’m going to like it, I won’t know unless I try. You never know, right?
Maybe making a little something to go with it to offset the texture would help, like making it into a tart, or ice cream, or something. We’ll see.
I have to laugh you could seriously add some chunks of ham, bacon or sausage and have a eggy/meaty meal in a cup!
These are very much like flan texture wise. I made 2 versions, a lemon-lavender and the coffee-cinnamon. I liked them ok, but they didn’t go over well with the kids or Mr. I added in extra lemon extract and extra coffee powder and I didn’t think they were eggy. The flavors really hid it, I think.
…oh, I also baked mine 6 minutes more, just to be sure they set (they didn’t even jiggle). After a few hrs in the fridge they were perfectly set.
made the recipe as is- in a word…bland. debating about trying again but unsure how to make it better.
I won’t be making this one.
I just don’t want to waste ingredients.
I’m curious – I have emailed the TWD gmail twice now hoping to be approved for a rewind, but nothing in response. :o(
I have been dying to use up some lemons and came here to find the Lemon Cup Custard for this week. Yay! And to read the texture is like flan? Even better! I’m all over this like you can’t imagine :)
I just tasted the custard. And that’s what it is custard. Steeping the cloves & lemon rind for a full hour made for a bright flavor. Refreshing.
HoneyB/Shelby – I doubt that you’ll get permission to do a rewind for this week. The purpose of the rewind is to allow for bakers to participate who don’t want to go out and buy some special equipment or pan required for the recipe, not for those who don’t care for a particular taste. That just isn’t in line w/the spirit of TWD. Like Holly of Phemomenon stated, you just won’t know until you try. I can’t tell you the number of times I tried a TWD recipe even though it didn’t look appealing at all to me… only to discover that I loved it! :)
That said, you can still do another TWD recipe, it just won’t count towards the participation requirement.
Well if that were to be the case I just won’t participate. I can’t handle eggy dishes since my surgery which is why I stay away from them. I just don’t want to be “kicked” out of the group for non participation.
I tasted the milk after it had steeped for an hour and it was bland, so I added about 2 tbsp. of vanilla extract. It seemed like a lot to add, but it’s how much was needed to make the milk taste flavourful. The finished product is pretty tasty, and I think the vanilla saved the custard from tasting eggy, although my boyfriend didn’t like the flavour of the cloves. I think the vanilla saved the day, though, because I couldn’t taste the lemon very much.
P.S. I also used the lemon extract.
I happen to love custard in any form, so I halved the recipe and made one batch of lemon and one of cinnamon-coffee. Both tasted great. I used lemon oil in the lemon batch and it was very lemony. I can see playing around with lots of flavors here.
As I was reading through some of the comments my hubby was reading with me. I got a gag face from him and flan gives me the same reaction. I want to make this but I don’t want to let it sit around and not get eaten either. I think I am sitting out this week. Can’t wait for the next two recipes though! :)
We like ‘spoon desserts’ of all kinds, so the jiggly, flan-type custard would have been fine with me. I used duck eggs and got a very pudding like consistency (not jiggly), which we also liked. I ventured off on a different flavor tack; it was interesting and good. Oh, and it cooked very quickly – I’m glad I just happened to peek into the oven.
Nancy
I made them last night. I tasted a after it was refrigerated for a few hours…. fantastic! Creamy, lemony… however, I don’t drink whole milk, so when I need it for a recipe, I substitute with a can of evaporated milk. I also added a few lemon oil drops to the milk/zest “steeping” and another few drops when whisking the custard. Very good! Not like traditonal, “curd-like” custard… maybe the evap. milk was the trick? I had to cook mine for the full 45 minutes though… or maybe they were done, it was kind of hard to tell. Hope that helps!
Did anyone try a variation beyond the standard lemon? I’m contemplating different flavors…
Caitlin, if I were going to make this (I can’t eat anything too eggy, makes me ill)….I would consider POM juice instead of lemon….
Wow, surprised to see so many people who don’t do eggy, I thought I was a minority, I can’t stand anything eggy or eggs.
Anyway, I plan to try a half batch and cook it up anyway just to participate, I will offer it to the kids and husband, and make a non-eggy lemon treat on the side. The title of this recipe has gotten me in a lemon mood that I won’t be able to shake until I make something with lemon :)
Caitlin, I made this the same time I made the lemon yogurt cake, so wanted to do something other than lemon. I did a bay leaf/nutmeg variation, and we really liked it.
I love lemon so I’m excited to try this. You never know. My milk is steeping right now- I did some extra zest and will add some extra vanilla too and it sounds delicious. I figure for about a bucks worth of ingredients it’s worth the risk, right? :) I’ll let you know how it turns out!
My custards are in the oven now. I added fresh raspberries to each cup and I think I’ll brulee them as Megan suggested for extra yumminess.
Kelly
Sounding My Barbaric Gulp!
http://www.barbaricgulp.com
we just ate this- not what you might expect, but still quite good. It didn’t taste of eggs, it just tastes like a egg-custard should. I’m glad we tried it- I cut down the recipe, which I often do when I might not like something or it is just for the two of us.
Ooo – pomegranate juice? Neat idea! And bay leaf and nutmeg? *swoon*
I’m going to skip this week because I hate anything described as “eggy.” Thanks for the heads up.
This did not work out for me. Hard to know exactly where it all broke down, but I’m thinking that I cooked it at least 10 minutes too long. I set the timer for 40 minutes and then moved on to other things, and by the time it beeped, it was way past the jiggly stage. It was eggy, which I could have dealt with, but I couldn’t deal with the texture, which resembled broken up Jello bits. I don’t have much custard eating experience, so I don’t really know what a good custard is supposed to taste like, but I do know that mine ain’t it.
Caitlin, I used 6 whole cloves and 3 whole cardomom pods, crushed, to a recipe and one half. Also, used a few drops of lemon oil. I was having an Indian theme dinner and served it. The cardomom added an interesting scent and flavor. It was a success. lola
So glad to have made this recipe – “fantastic” is the only word to describe it. I will definitely make this one again and again and again :)
HoneyB – Since there are people still on the blogroll that haven’t posted since November, I kind of doubt you’ll get “kicked off” for missing a week ;)
I made these several days ago. I am a huge fan of custard, I am British born and custard is a fond childhood memory. Unfortunately, the custard I am in love with is more of a pudding texture, this was a flan texture, which invokes my gag reflex. The taste was subtle but nice, so instead of wasting it I made a quicky bread pudding with it. I had also made the lemon yogurt cake and had a little bit left of that. So I cut that into cubes, tossed it into a individual sized casserole dish, put the custard over the top and baked it for 30 minutes. It was a lovely breakfast :)
I just finished mine. I subbed half of the milk with cream. I added double the lemon zest, a sqeeze of fresh lemon juice and about 1/8 teaspoon lemon extract. I baked for exactly 40 minutes. It was still not a strong lemon taste, but more like a hint of lemon.
The texture was very nice… aaaalmost pudding-ish. It jiggled more than I thought it should when I took it out of the oven, but I thought underbaking would probably be better than over.
Maybe custard is an aquired taste. I didn’t used to like it much, but I’ve grown to like it more and more.
The way I see it, I’d like to be able to brag someday that I baked *every* recipe from the book… so that means taking the good with the bad. If you cut the recipe in half or even quarter it, it’s not a lot of ingredients. :) But that’s me!
I made the custard last night. I added fresh raspberries to each cup before baking and bruleed the tops! It was great!
Amanda- We actually just cleaned house and around 100 people were removed. (I still need to remove them from the rotation.) If there are still people on the blogroll “haven’t posted since November”, feel free to send them in. We are doing our best to keep track.
My apologies, I didn’t mean that critically at all, I was just trying to put HoneyB’s mind at ease! I know you do this for free for all of us and I don’t want you to think I don’t appreciate it, because I do! I’m sorry if that came out to sound critical of you, it most definitely wasn’t meant that way!
i made this yesterday and just tried it today. i made a half recipe b/c i wasn’t sure if i would like it. i was able to get one tea cup full and then one creme brulee dish full w/the half recipe. it definitely tastes like flan, which i love but my hubby hates (so i’m glad i halved this).
i got a very nice lemon flavor in mine. very obvious but not overwhelming. i used 1/2 of the zest in the milk and let is steep for 1 full hour. then the other 1/2 of the zest i rubbed w/the sugar. i added just a drop of lemon extract since i was halving the recipe and dorie says to just add 1/8 tsp in a full recipe
it was good. not necessarily something i’ll make over and over again, but i’m glad i tried it. i don’t feel like i really wasted much in the way of ingredients – i only used 2 eggs, about a cup of milk and some sugar. i always zest my lemons/limes and save the zest in the freezer for recipes like this.
Hmm, I was going to skip this week because life is insane, I haven’t even made hamentashan, and we are leaving for an extended trip, but opinions are so strong on this and the recipe is so easy, that I think I want to give it a try. I like flan, so odds are good.
It is so great to hear what all of you have said!!! I made the vanilla version and was COMPLETELY disappointed. Of course, I thought it was just me! But mine also seemed eggy and rubbery and with very little flavor. I wrote about it nonetheless on my blog, which was fun. But…I wouldn’t ever make this again. Thanks for all of your comments, which really feel supportive!
I added the juice of two lemons instead of extract or oil, put a little powdered sugar on top of my non-giggly dessert, and it tasted fabulous! I’ve already made it twice! :)
By the way, I never would have tried to modify the recipe if it hadn’t been for all of the comments I read here. So thanks for the heads up!
The husband and I just ate this for lunch and we loved it- now I am sorry that we cut the recipe in half. I made it vanilla and used twice the extract and it was delicious.
After reading everyone, I almost passed. But I wanted to know for myself. And, it’s so easy and very few ingredients. Mine turned out perfectly, whether you like the flavor/texture or not. I drizzled powder sugar/lemon glaze on top — just ok. And then I just spritzed it with cold, fresh lemon juice. This was actually quite nice.
YUM, YUM, YUM!
The Lemon Cup Custard was quite a hit! I should disclose that eggy custards are popular in my house. The only thing I would change is trying lemon oil instead of lemon extract for a stronger lemon taste. Also not sure why I got a slightly brown ring around the edges of the custard cups. Did this happen to anyone else?
On a funny note, this recipe is on page 387 and page 386 was real Butterscotch Pudding. We all made this in late December. That was quite a hit at work. I think I might be doing a repeat this week!
I loved the custards. I made the Cinnamon-Coffee and Orange-Star Anise. I just doubled the Cinnamon and Orange to get the flavor I wanted :)
The point to this group is to experience new things. If you don’t take a chance you will never know if you like it or not. You might just surprise yourself :)