Savory Blue Cheese Custard

This makes a lovely starter to any meal — one that is elegant (and delicious, of course.) To make it a light lunch or supper, I would simply add a poached egg to the salad and serve it with some crusty bread. I love savory custards every bit as much as sweet custards — hopefully this will make a convert of you as well. Note: I use a Danish blue cheese, which is smoother and melts a little more readily than a more aged blue (such as Stilton). You can make these custards ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator. Remove the custards from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving.

Author

Barbara Freda

I grew up in a cooking family and after getting a degree in Spanish and Anthropology, realized what I really wanted to do was to go to culinary school. After working in a NYC bank for a few years, I managed to get to culinary school and got my first jobs in NYC kitchens, including a long stint at Union Square Cafe in its earliest years. After (sadly) leaving NYC, I realized I needed to step away from the 80-hour work weeks, so I left the heat of the kitchen for the cool of the computer keyboard: I started writing about food, the business of food, and technology in the food industry, as well as teaching cooking classes. Recipe development remains one of my top loves, and the opportunity to develop recipes for Anova has been fun every step of the way.

Prep Time: 00:30

Recipe Time: 00:45

Temperature : 179.6F / 82C

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 ¼ cups whole milk
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 2 ounces soft blue cheese, crumbled
• 4 ounces salad greens, for serving
• Thinly sliced chives or scallions, for serving
• Slivered almonds, toasted, for serving

Directions

1. Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 179ºF (82ºC). Place a rack in the bottom of the water bath. Make sure the rack can hold 4 ramekins or jam jars. Generously butter the insides of 4 ramekins using melted butter.
2. Combine milk and cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, and then remove from heat.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle 1/4 cup cream mixture into the yolks. Once warm cream is fully incorporated, continue to whisk in remaining cream. Once all of the cream is incorporated, whisk in blue cheese until melted.
4. Drizzle ¼ cup warm milk/cream into yolks, whisking constantly. Then drizzle remaining warm cream into yolks, never stopping the whisk. Once all cream is incorporated, add blue cheese and whisk 1 more minute.
5. Ladle the egg mixture evenly between the 4 prepared ramekins. If any small pieces of cheese remain, divide those between the ramekins. Wrap each ramekin tightly with plastic wrap or seal each jar with a lid.
6. Carefully place the ramekins onto the rack in the water bath. The water should reach at least halfway up each ramekin, but not so high that the ramekins are in danger of floating.
7. Set the timer for 45 minutes. If the custards do not look set after 45 minutes, cook for an additional 15 minutes. When set, the custards will still jiggle, but they will not be liquid.

Finishing Steps

1. When the timer goes off, remove the ramekins from the water bath and let cool for 10 minutes at room temperature.
2. Remove the plastic wrap or lid and run a thin knife around the edge of each ramekin to loosen custard.
3. Line four serving plates with salad greens. Invert each custard onto its own bed of greens, tapping very gently on the bottom of the ramekin, if necessary, to release custard. Garnish with chives and almonds.