Pumpkin Egg Custard Recipe - My Kitchen Love (2024)

FAQs

Why not use whole egg in custard? ›

In custard recipes, egg yolks are often preferred over whole eggs. The difference in using whole eggs versus egg yolks comes down to the volume and properties that the white and yolk impart: Egg yolks provide fat which contributes to a creamier texture and a more pronounced flavor.

Pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) is combined with brown sugar, warm spices, vanilla extract, eggs, and half-and-half until smooth and then baked in a water bath until set. This pumpkin pudding is perfect with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar or chopped pecans on top.

Custard is a decadent dessert made with eggs, milk, and sugar. Eggs are responsible for custard's thick and velvety texture, but some recipes (such as this one) call for thickeners such as cornstarch or arrowroot for extra richess.

When you use whole eggs in a recipe, you get some of the best properties of both the yolk and the white. While whole eggs aren't quite as good as straight yolks at creating an emulsion, they are still excellent binding agents, especially in cakes, cookies, and other baked goods.

Custard tends to be smoother and more velvety due to the egg content, whereas pudding has a thicker, more gelatinous consistency because of the added starch. While all of these characteristics differentiate the two, it's helpful to know more about how each of these desserts developed.

If you're buying a can of pumpkin off the shelf, you should know that it's not made from the same orange jack-o'-lantern pumpkins you carve, or even their daintier, sweeter cousins, sugar pumpkins (also known as pie pumpkins). In fact, canned pumpkin is actually squash. We know, big news. BIG.

They are the same product. Both canned pumpkin puree and pie filling are useful, shelf-stable ingredients that can help speed up your kitchen prep time. Just remember that puree is unsweetened, while pie filling contains sugar and spices. This will help you choose the right pumpkin product for your recipes.

If you open up a pumpkin, you would see all kinds of different things inside. Some people call all this gooey stuff the pumpkin's “brains” or its “guts.” Lydia Tymon. There's the meaty orange flesh, sticky pulp, lots of seeds, and, of course, all those little strings.

The difference is in the texture. Egg yolk only will result on a more tender custard, because the protein in egg white can get rubbery when cooked. So, I would expect a whole egg custard recipe to be different in other ways, to allow for the properties of egg white.

The traditional leche flan made with only egg yolks has a deeper yellow color. It is denser with a creamier, richer taste. On the other hand, the whole egg flan has a lighter color and a jelly-like texture. Using the egg whites also makes the flan firmer.

Why is my egg custard not thickening? ›

Increase stovetop cooking time.

If you've tried a few recipes and your custard is still runny, thicken your custard by increasing the stovetop cooking time (instead of adding a thickening agent). Follow your recipe stovetop cooking time, right up until the custard starts bubbling.

This often happens as a result of overheating your liquid. But while curdled custard may seem like a lost cause, it doesn't have to be. There are a few ways to redeem and even salvage custards that have scrambled. That's right bakers, you can exhale.