This delicious autumn treat, made rich and creamy with eggs, can be eaten as a custard pudding or made into a fun filling for seasonal pies, tarts and donuts.
The spices added here are simply suggestions. Substitute your favorites. If you don’t have whole spices, stir in some ground spices once you remove the custard from the heat.
Yield: 2 to 3 servings
Ingredients
Spice Pack
- 1 teaspoon each whole cardamom, clove and black peppercorn
- 1 star anise
Custard
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch fine sea salt
- toasted coconut flakes for serving
Read more: Like homegrown pumpkins? Start a pumpkin patch to earn some profit!
Preparation
Gather the spices, and secure in a stainless steel tea ball or make a pouch out of cheesecloth.
In a medium saucepan, stir the milks, cornstarch, sugar and pumpkin puree together. Use a whisk, if necessary, and stir until smooth. Place the spice pack in the saucepan.
Add the eggs to a medium bowl, and beat with a whisk until the yolks and whites are blended.
Set the saucepan over medium heat. Continue to stir and heat until scalded and the liquid around the edges just begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. It will thicken slightly. Remove from the heat.
Remove the spice pack.
Slowly add about 2 tablespoons of the hot contents from the saucepan to the bowl with the eggs, whisking constantly during the process. Continue to add a little at a time as you whisk, until all the contents of the saucepan have been added to the bowl. Whisk well.
Pour the contents of the bowl back into the saucepan.
Turn the heat to low and whisk constantly. Increase the heat slightly as you whisk and the custard thickens, about 2 minutes. Once the lines of the whisk moving through the custard no longer disappear with each stir, remove it from the heat. Whisk in the vanilla and salt.
Divide the custard between 3 or 4 serving bowls. Allow it to cool to room temperature or chill. Garnish with toasted coconut before serving.
This article originally appeared in the September/October 2020 issue of Chickens magazine.
