Spring and coconut cream custard
Spring has sprung!
Coconut Cream Custard*
13.5 oz can of coconut milk (not lite, unsweetened)
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1 large egg yolk
2 whole large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
4-10 drops of coconut extract (to taste)
Whisk together sugar, eggs, egg yolk and flour in medium bowl. Bring coconut milk to a simmer over medium heat in a medium saucepan - I prefer a saucier pan, but that’s because I’m fancy. Gradually pour hot coconut milk into egg mixture, whisking constantly. When fully combined, add back into pan and stir until thickened and bubbling over medium heat. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and coconut extracts. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap-pressing wrap to the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill for at least 2 hours.
Variations:
1. If you’d like it less sweet, reduce the sugar to 1/3 cup and add 1/8 tsp of coconut extract.
2. Use whole milk instead of coconut milk (1 1/2 cups) and mix in 1/4 cup of coconut flakes. Strain out coconut flakes before adding to egg mixture.
To complete this dessert:
Mango-lime curd by Bon Appétit
Financiers (brown butter and almond cakes) from My Paris Kitchen, by David Lebovitz.
I decorated with fresh mint leaves, but only for show. They don’t really add to the flavor. Fresh seasonally-ripe strawberries or any other berry would also be great with this!
*A little technical note: I call this a custard, but it is actually more like a pudding. I don’t love the word pudding because it is too ambiguous. Pudding to me is either a baked British item made with flour and animal fat, like spotted dick or Yorkshire pudding, or a cup of goo that is served to children. Pudding and custards are prepared similarly but a custard is typically baked in a water bath to thicken, while a pudding just uses the heat of the stove and the flour or cornstarch to thicken.
