Custard | Adventures in Thyme

Christmas Dessert for Two

December 20, 2015 by Dan Leave a Comment

Pumpkin Spice Custard

We couldn’t stop with just Christmas dinner for two – there had to be a dessert! This is a milk free pumpkin spice custard, and a few candied pecans just for good measure.

Custard:

1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup White Sugar
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
2 large Eggs
1 1/2 cups unsweetened, vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 of a 15 oz. can of Pumpkin (about 2/3 of a cup)
3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Ginger
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Whipped topping, thawed (This can be real whipped cream or one of the alternatives that is either low in milk content or dairy free)

In a medium sauce pot, combine the sugar and cornstarch.

In a mixing bowl, beat the 2 eggs until they are uniformly yellow, but not to the point of being frothy. Whisk in the almond milk. Add the spices and whisk to combine. Add the pumpkin and whisk until it is also well combined with the other ingredients. Gently pour the wet mixture into the sauce pan with the sugar and cornstarch, stirring constantly. Heat over medium heat until the mixture starts to boil. Turn down to low and continue to stir for 3 or 4 minutes. The mixture should be thickened.

Remove from the heat and place the sauce pan in a large pan of ice water. Stir until the mixture is cool (10 to 15 minutes.) Spoon the mixture into a nice wine glass or parfait glass. Fill about 1/3 full. Add a layer of whipped topping to get the glass about half full. Spoon more custard on top of the whipped topping until the glass is about 2/3 full. Repeat for the second glass. (Depending on the size of your glass, this may make 2 or 3 servings.) Cover the top of the custard with plastic food wrap, right on top of the custard. (This will prevent the custard from forming a skin on top.) Chill for at least an hour in the refrigerator.

While the custard cools, make your candied pecans.

Candied Pecans:

1 tablespoon Water
1 Egg White
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Pecan Halves

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F.

Combine the egg white and water in a medium bowl and whisk until frothy. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt, whisk until well combined and the sugar is dissolved. Add the pecans and stir until they are well coated. (If you’re careful, this recipe will actually do 1 1/2 to 2 cups of Pecans.)

Line a baking sheet with cooking parchment. Spread the nuts in a single layer, evenly on the parchment. Bake for 60 minutes, stirring them every 10 to 15 minutes (try to keep the nuts separated). Remove from the oven and let cool. Break up the nuts if they are stuck together. For the topping for this dessert, coarsely chop a few of the candied pecans.

To serve your dessert, remove the custard from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans, add a dollop of your whipped topping and sprinkle with a little cinnamon.

Enjoy.

Bread Pudding

September 14, 2015 by Dan Leave a Comment

Bread Pudding

Seemingly in the blink of an eye, Fall is upon us, it’s time to think about new recipes for the holidays. This week we tried bread pudding with peaches and a peach schnapps caramel sauce. OMG – yes!

Let’s get baking…

Bread Pudding

6 Eggs, beaten
2 cups unsweetened, vanilla Almond Milk
1 cup packed Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
1 cup White Sugar
1 tablespoon Cinnamon
1 14.5 oz can unsweetened, sliced Peaches
2 pounds Bread, cut into cubes, slightly stale works best or dry in the oven for a little while (15 mins at 150 degrees F.)

Caramel Sauce

1 cup White Sugar
1 tablespoon Corn Syrup
1/4 cup Water
1/2 cup Almond Milk non-dairy Creamer
2 tablespoons Butter, unsalted
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup Peach Schnapps

To make the Bread pudding:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Combine the 6 beaten eggs, 2 cups of vanilla almond milk, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup white sugar, 1/4 maple syrup and the cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves and everything is well mixed. Add your bread. I used two round loaves of white Italian bread. Any bread with some body will work fine. Don’t try to use white sandwich bread, it doesn’t have enough body to it.

Let the mixture stand for 10 to 15 minutes so the bread absorbs most of the custard. Pour the mixture into your greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. It should fill it nicely.

Place on the center rack in your oven and back 35 to 45 minutes, or until the custard is set. Remove from the oven and let cool. (Note, it is best served warm with the caramel sauce, below, whipped cream or even a scoop of ice cream.)

To make the Caramel Sauce:

Combine the sugar, corn syrup and water in a medium sauce pan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to boil. Once it starts to boil, stop stirring and cover for a few minutes. (The condensation will dissolve any sugar stuck to the side of the pan.) Remove the lid and let boil until the mixture reaches a medium to dark amber color. Do not stir while it is boiling.

Remove from the heat and add the almond milk creamer slowly while stirring with a wooden spoon. This will bubble up a great deal, so be careful. Stir until smooth, scraping the bottom of the pot so nothing settles out. Add the butter and stir until dissolved. Add the vanilla and the peach schnapps. Return to the heat, bring to a bubble over medium heat, turn down to low and let simmer for a few minutes to boil off most of the alcohol. Remove from the heat and let cool. Stir periodically. Once cool, you can store this in the refrigerator. It is a thick liquid at room temperature.

Serve over the bread pudding above or over ice cream. Yummy!

Apple Custard Pie

November 5, 2014 by Dan 1 Comment

Apple Custard Pie

Can there be too many apple pie variations? We think not, so here’s another spin on this all American dish. This time we use almond milk custard and tart Granny Smith apples to make an apple custard pie.

4 to 5 cups sliced green, tart Apples (Granny Smith work well)
2 cups plain, unsweetened Almond Milk
4 eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 table spoons Corn Starch
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Salt
9 inch Pie Shell

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place your pie dough into a 9 inch pie pan, line with parchment and something to weigh it all down as it bakes. We used a bags worth of kidney beans that we had in the cupboard. Bake the pie shell for 20 to 25 minutes or until done. Remove from the oven and let cool (and throw out the beans if you use some too – although edible, they’ve lost their yummy factor in the baking process).

Peel, core and slice your apples.

Combine all of the dry ingredients, mixing completely.

Put the almond milk in a 6 to 8 quart pan. Beat your eggs and add them to the almond milk. Add your dry ingredients and mix until combined and the sugar is dissolved. Add your apples. Cook over medium heat until it just begins to bubble. Turn down to low and cook, stirring frequently until well thickened and the apple slices are soft (about 20 minutes or so).

Pour the apple custard mixture into your pie shell and refrigerate until cool. Serve with whipped topping and a dusting of cinnamon.

Enjoy!