Almond Custard, Like Macarons

Today, I shall tell you about Almond Custard from Hannah Glasse's cookbook!  Don't confuse this one with her Almond Creams (which I'm sure are quite good, but these were magnificent).  The recipe reads, "To Make Almond Custards: Take a pint of cream, blanch and beat a quarter of a pound of almonds fine, with two spoonfuls of rose-water; sweeten it to your palate, beat up the yolks of four eggs, stir all together one way over the fire til it is thick, then pour it out into cups; or you may bake it in little china cups."  It's really quite simple.  The recipe is pretty straightforward.

First, you need to powder almonds, add in some rose water (let's say two tablespoons), about a half cup of sugar (more or less, depending on how you like it-- feel free to taste test), and a pint of cream.  The longest part was powdering the almonds into a flour, but nowadays you can actually buy almond flour/almond meal, and that will save you about two hours of time.  After you've mixed together your powdered almonds, rose water, sugar, and cream, put in the beaten yolks of two or three modern eggs (Hannah Glasse's eggs were smaller than ours), mix altogether, and set it in a sauce pan over a low heat.  Stir constantly, but don't whisk in air (which is, I think, what she means by "stir one way"-- don't beat in air, just stir in even circles).  Because you have egg in this, if you don't stir constantly you might end up with lumps of scrambled egg.  It will bubble a very little around the sides when it's hot, and that's when you must start stirring.  It will thicken, too, but not to a pudding consistency.  The spoon will begin to pull slightly as you stir; no more.  It will be liquidy after you take it off the stove, though it will set a little in a glass or if you put it in your fridge.  Still not quite pudding-like.  I've not tried baking, but I imagine it would be at a very low heat and very tasty.  I think this could also be a custard for an ice cream, if you like making ice creams.

To enjoy this custard, you must like rose-flavored dishes: I do.  To me, this custard tasted like the cream inside a rose macaron from Laduree.  It tasted like Covent Garden, sitting and watching the street performers.  If you don't like rose-flavored dishes, I suggest substituting orange-blossom water for the rose-water, perhaps, or use a few drops of lemon extract.  Get creative!  Word of caution: be careful when using extract, as it's extremely potent.  If you do substitute extract for rose/orange-blossom water, DO NOT use two tablespoons.  Taste test as you go along to see if you want more of the flavor.  Remember, you can always add more, but can't take any out.  Also, rose-water might be difficult to find.  If you do find it, make sure it's edible.  They do make skin-toner rose-water that is inedible.  You should be able to find it at specialty food stores, and it's a popular ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking.  If you're really adventurous, you can make your own with rose petals!

I just love this custard, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!