Eat: Homemade Custard & Stewed Fruit

I haven’t had custard in years and a few weeks ago got a real craving for it. I searched for custard powder in the supermarket but couldn’t for the life of me find it anywhere! I have subsequently seen it in a bulk food store, but still not found it in the supermarket, it may just be the supermarkets I have been looking at though.

I mentioned to mum that I couldn’t find it anywhere and she suggested just making my own – HOLD UP – you can make custard from scratch? Ignorant me didn’t realise this, so I gave it a crack and the first attempt it tasted just like custard but was white as it didn’t have any colouring in it and I couldn’t look at the food as it was going in to my mouth as it was just weird. It’s funny how you associate that food should be a certain way.

The second time I attempted to make some chocolate protein custard – huge fail by the way, it doesn’t thicken – well not with the amount of protein powder I used (a few scoops). If you only use a small amount you will probably be fine.

The third attempt I just made standard custard and added some food colouring (albeit, too much food colouring, it was rather vibrant yellow instead of the dull yellow I associate with custard) and it was amazing! After I taste tested and realised I’d forgotten the sweetener, woops.

I made some stewed apples and pears earlier in the evening which I served over the custard and it was AWESOME!

Homemade Custard Ingredients;
– Milk (I made mine using milk powder, we don’t buy milk very often)
– Vanilla Essence
– Cornflour
– Sweetener of your choice (I used artificial sweetener, you could try sugar, maple syrup or honey depending on what your food requirements are).
– Yellow food colouring (If you are weird about your food needing to be the colour it originally was)

Homemade Custard Directions:

1. Heat the milk for a couple minutes in the microwave (or on the stove if your that way inclined, I burn things too easy and am too impatient for that!)

2. Mix a little milk with cornflour in a separate mixing vessel, try 1 tablespoon per cup of milk used and see how the thickening goes.

3. Add the milky cornflour to the heated milk mixture, stir and pop back in the microwave for a few more minutes. If it’s not starting to thicken add a little more cornflour (mix in the separate vessel so you don’t end up with lumps through your custard) and pop back in the microwave for a few more minutes.

4. Once it has thicken add in your sweetener of choice (to taste) and vanilla essence (I used 1 cap full for 2-3 cups of custard)

5. Eat and enjoy!

Stewed Fruit

Ingredients 

Fruit of your choice – apples and pears work really well.
Cinnamon (or mixed spice) – this can be left out and they are still tasty.

Directions

1. Peel the fruit

2. Chop into smaller pieces

3. Put in a pot with enough water to almost cover the fruit

4. Add some Cinnamon (Depending on how much fruit you use, I used about a teaspoon for about 4 apples and 2 pears)

5. Take your choice – either boil the fruit intensely until it goes soft or let it simmer until it goes soft.

6. Drain about half the water off into a cup and drink it now, seriously do it, it’s incredible!

7. Either eat as is or get out your stick blender or potato masher and mash it up a little.

8. Eat or pop in the fridge for eating at a later date, it lasts a few days in the fridge no problems.

If your interested in the nutritional information for the custard I did a quick add up, using artificial sweetener (Zero calories) and using 3 cups of lite milk – for 6 servings (half a cup – which I don’t think is enough 😉 and also 4 servings, which is what we made it) – I also over estimated on the cornflour in case you need extra to thicken it – remember to be patient and let it cook for quiet a while and if it doesn’t thicken add a bit more.

I am entering this recipe in Sweet NZ for October 2013 hosted by Lucy Eats.

Do you have a food you haven’t eaten in years that you’d like to have again?

Have you had custard or stewed fruit recently?