I don't know if anyone here would know this kind of thing, but thought
I'd ask anyway....


I have 2 baked custard recipes (actually Pots de Creme au Chocolat).

One calls for whisking the egg yolks and sugar to a "lazy ribbon" then
combining with the cream/chocolate/vanilla mixture and bake.

The other says to stir the egg yolks to mix lightly, then combine with
the cream/chocolate/sugar/vanilla mixture, then put it all in a double
boiler and stir them over low heat for about 3 minutes.

My question is this: after baking and cooling, how would the custards be
different? Would the textures be different, and if so, how? Would one be
thinner than the other? Smoother? Creamier? Richer?

Would those made with the partially-cooked mixture bake faster than
those made with the whisked yolks?

What difference, if any, does the air incorporated into the whisked
yolks make?

Or is the purpose of both just to thicken the egg yolks, and they would
turn out the same? Does whisking egg yolks with sugar have the same
effect on the proteins in the yolks as gentle heating would?


Are there any food scientists here who know this kind of thing?