National Chocolate Custard Month

May is National Chocolate Custard Month in the United States.

The name custard covers a wide range of dishes that are based on a mixture of milk or cream and egg yolk that has been cooked. The consistency of custard can vary tremendously, from a thin, pourable liquid to a thick cream. It is most commonly used as a sauce to pour on other dishes, but it can be a dish in itself. Whilst predominately sweet, there are some custards that are used as a base for savoury dishes.

As well as the base ingredients, others can be added to, to change the consistency of the custard, to add a flavour, or to make a complete custard-based dish. In this case, what is added is chocolate flavouring. The custard can be served hot, or it can be frozen to make a dish similar to ice cream.

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National Caramel Custard Day

National Caramel Custard Day falls on October 3rd in the United States.

Those outside of the US may not be familiar by this dish under this name, but may have come across it under two other common names for the dessert - flan (in Spanish and derived usage) and crème caramel.

This is a custard based dessert that is made in a mould. Sugar syrup (a mixture of sugar and water) is heated to the caramel stage and is poured into the mould first. Then, the custard itself, which is made from a mixture of egg yolk and either cream or milk, is poured on top of the caramel. The dish is then cooked by steaming, such as in a bain-marie or in a water bath in an oven. Once cooked, the finished dessert is turned over and removed from the mould so that the caramel is on the top.

The caramel itself is soft, rather than hard. The dish is comparatively easy to prepare in large quantities in advance, which resulted in it being very common in European restaurants for a time. The dish is quite delicate once cooked, so needs to be treated with care to avoid damaging it.

National Vanilla Custard Day

August 17th in the United States is National Vanilla Custard Day.

Custard describes a whole range of different dishes that are all made from a base of either cream or milk and egg yolks, with other ingredients being added as desired. Custards can vary from a thin sauce that is poured over food to a thick cream that is used to fill pastries, and they can be used for both savoury and sweet dishes, either as a base for other ingredients to be added to or as a filling itself.

In this case, it's a sweet dish, to which vanilla has been added. Vanilla is a very expensive spice (only saffron is more expensive) that is derived from a species of orchid. Given the cost of true vanilla, it isn't uncommon for substitutes to be used instead to reduce costs. Although a bowl of custard could be eaten as-is, it is more common to use it as a component in a larger dish.

Although traditional custards all use egg yolks and, indeed, the term shouldn't be used for those that don't, there are a number of modern preparations called custards that are egg-free. These are often available in a powdered form, to which milk is added, and which are then heated.