1. Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in one small bowl and the whites in another.
2. Beat the yolks lightly — just enough to break them up and combine. Add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) whole milk and a few grains of salt; stir to combine.
3. Strain the yolk mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a small buttered heatproof cup or ramekin (approximately 4 oz / 120 ml capacity).
4. Set the filled cup in a small saucepan. Pour boiling water into the saucepan to reach halfway up the side of the cup — this is a bain-marie (water bath), a technique in which gentle, indirect steam heat cooks delicate egg mixtures without curdling.
5. Cover the saucepan and move it to the lowest heat setting on the stove (equivalent to the 'back of the range' used to maintain a bare simmer). Steam for 18–25 minutes, until the custard is fully set — it should not jiggle when the cup is nudged, should feel firm to a light fingertip press at the center, and a thin knife inserted in the middle should come out clean.
6. Remove the cup from the water bath and allow to cool completely at room temperature, approximately 20–30 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites lightly — just until frothy, not stiff — and add a few grains of salt. Pour into a second small buttered heatproof cup or ramekin of the same size.
8. Cook the white custard in the same bain-marie method as the yolks: set in a saucepan, surround with boiling water to half-depth, cover, and steam over lowest heat for 18–25 minutes, until fully set with the same doneness cues as step 5.
9. Cool the white custard completely.
10. When both custards are cool, run a thin knife around the inside edge of each cup and unmold onto a cutting board.
11. Cut each custard disk into thin slices (approximately 1/8 inch / 3 mm), then cut each slice into the desired decorative shapes — rounds, diamonds, stars, or other forms — using a small knife or aspic cutters.
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