Frozen Egg Custard
Source: Anonymous, 1920
History
"Huevo helado" (literally "frozen egg") is a home dessert recorded in the early-twentieth-century Spanish domestic cookbook "La Mejor Cocinera. Recetas de cocina," issued in Madrid by the Editorial Saturnino Calleja; the Biblioteca Nacional de España catalogue record lists no author and dates the located edition to 1921. The recipe appears in the book's "Helados" (frozen desserts) chapter. Its full printed text directs the cook to beat as many egg yolks as desired with a spoonful of sugar per yolk, whip the whites to stiff peaks ("punto de nieve") and fold them into the yolks, add a little vanilla, then freeze the mixture and serve it once set. Unlike the book's milk-based ices, this preparation contains no milk or cream: it is a frozen, sweetened, vanilla-scented egg foam rather than a cooked custard. The same chapter describes the period freezing method it relied on — the mixture was sealed in a "garrafa" or "heladora" set in a bucket packed with ice and salt and turned until it froze. Beyond what the cookbook itself records, the historical record does not document a specific origin, inventor, region, or social meaning for this particular recipe.
Ingredients
- egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- egg whites
- a little vanilla
Instructions
- Beat the egg yolks very well with one tablespoon of sugar for each yolk. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks (punto de nieve) and fold them into the yolks. Add a little vanilla. Transfer to a freezer or ice cream maker and freeze until set. Serve cold.