My involvement with food began at an early age. Eating to survive was a given, but my mother gave new meaning to the word "delicious" during the holiday season. This is when she would cook cookies, cakes and pies for Christmas celebrations. My favorite though was her boiled custard and red velvet cake! There was a silent contest each year between my mother and my Aunt Helen as to who had the best tasting boiled custard. None of us would declare a winner for fear the loser wouldn't make the dessert next year. The contest was always a draw.

Mom felt it was her duty to make this year's cake and custard better than the year before! She would get up early on Christmas morning, long before we unwrapped presents from Santa, lay out the ingredients and start to work. She usually had the kitchen to herself at that time of the morning. Even though it was Christmas day, she was up even before us kids, preparing for the family and friends coming over for Christmas dinner. I well remember the aromas from the kitchen as we awoke on special morning.

Here are my mother's recipes for boiled custard, minus the love, care and devotion to perfection she added to the ingredients. You have to supply that yourself.

BOILED CUSTARD:

6 eggs

3 cups sugar (She always added a pinch more.)

3 tablespoons of flour

2 quarts milk (Real milk, none of that 2% stuff.)

1 tablespoon vanilla

Cook on low heat.

First, beat the egg yolks. Some cooks separate the yolks and the egg whites and beat them separately. There are others who forego this step and just beat the whole eggs.

Add sugar, flour and milk to the egg yolks if you are separating the yolks from the whites. Mix them all together and cook until it thickens to custard consistency. Remove the mixture from the stove and blend in the beaten egg whites.

Next you cook the custard until you get the outcome you prefer. You cook it on a low heat; simmer on my stove is just about right. Use a double boiler to help keep the custard from sticking to the pan. Cook the mixture until It is the right consistency of boiled custard. You have to be the judge of that.

You have to try this one sometime. This is a real trial and error recipe. You may get it right the first time, but watch out for trouble on the second batch. As experienced as my mother was in the art of making boiled custard, occasionally she would cook up a batch, taste it and throw it out the back door. When it came to boiled custard, she was a perfectionist!