Steamed Corn Custards With Crab Food

STEAMED CORN CUSTARDS WITH CRAB

Steps:

• Make custard:
• Cook corn in a 1-quart saucepan of boiling salted water until very tender, 3 to 5 minutes, and drain in a sieve.
• Purée milk and hot corn in a blender until almost smooth, then force through a very fine sieve into a bowl, discarding solids. Whisk in egg and salt and divide custard among ramekins.
• Steam custards in a steamer set 1 inch above simmering water, covered with lid, until centers are set and a thin knife inserted into center of 1 custard comes out clean, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove ramekins from steamer with tongs and cool custards slightly.
• Make crab topping while custards cool:
• Coarsely chop 1/4 cup crabmeat and reserve remainder for another use. Heat butter in a small heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook crab, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in chives.
• Serve custards topped with crab.

SHIRLEY'S PERFECT STEAMED CORN ON THE COB EVERY TIME!

Steps:

• Husk corn. Set aside.
• Put 2" of water in the bottom of a lg. pot big enough to hold all your corn. Add salt to water.
• Place large plate or steamer in bottom of pan.
• Put corn into the pan, whole or cut in half, and stack vertically (up and down) with the stems at the bottom.
• Put the cover on, and bring water to a boil.
• Once water comes to a boil, steam the corn for 15 minutes, keeping cover on.
• Keep an eye on the water, and if it starts to boil out, add more to keep at around 2" so water doesn't evaporate.
• Remove corn from pot with tongs, and put on a serving plate.
• Cover with aluminum foil, until ready to eat.
• Serve with lots of butter and sprinkle with salt, to taste.

STEAMED CRABMEAT AND COCONUT MILK CUSTARDS

Steps:

• Bring coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger, and cilantro to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; let stand 1 hour.
• Pour through a fine sieve into a medium bowl; discard solids. Whisk in egg yolks, salt, and pepper. Ladle into four 8-ounce, 2-inch-high ramekins. Divide crabmeat evenly among ramekins; sprinkle each with 3 or 4 cilantro leaves.
• Fill a large pot fitted with a round wire rack or a steamer insert with enough water to just come up to rack. Bring water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Carefully place ramekins in steamer; cover pot. Steam custards over medium heat, checking occasionally to make sure water doesn't completely evaporate, until just set, 18 to 25 minutes. Place each custard on a saucer. Serve immediately with crisp toasts or crackers.

CHEF JOHN'S CREAMY CORN CUSTARD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Butter six 6-ounce glass or ceramic ramekins. Set ramekins into a 2-inch deep baking dish.
• Place corn into a large saucepan and stir in cream, salt, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat; stir in milk.
• Transfer corn mixture to a blender and pulse several times to get the mixture moving. Blend on high speed until smooth and creamy.
• Whisk egg yolks with eggs until smooth in a mixing bowl. Slowly whisk about 1/4 cup hot corn mixture into eggs until the corn mixture is incorporated. Repeat several times more until all the corn mixture is combined with eggs.
• Divide corn mixture equally into the 6 ramekins. Pour hot tap water into the baking dish to come about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
• Bake in the preheated oven until custards are just set, 30 to 35 minutes. Let custards cool for about 10 minutes before serving in ramekins or unmolding onto serving plates. To unmold, insert a knife between the custard and the ramekin, go around the edge with knife to loosen, and turn over onto a plate to unmold.

CREAMY CORN CUSTARD

Steps:

• Place cream, sugar and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugars are dissolved. Cut corn from cobs; add corn to saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 10 minutes. Transfer corn mixture to a blender; cover and process until pureed. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl; set aside., In a large saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand 1 minute. Heat and stir over low heat until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in milk and strained corn mixture. Pour into eight 4-oz. ramekins or custard cups. Refrigerate, covered, until set, 5 hours or overnight., In a small bowl, combine berries, lemon zest and juice. Sprinkle custards with raw sugar; top with berries and mint.