Easy Custard Pudding (Father's Day Special)

Wondering what easy and delicious treat to make for Father's Day that can be adapted for a variety of preferences? This easy pudding can take on many flavour variations and you can set it in tart shells to make them into tarts! Scale portion according to your needs.

I shared the custard pudding earlier in 2020 (see this post) but made slight modifications to it in this updated post.

Custard pudding

Ingredients:
6g gelatin, bloomed in 30g ice water
2 egg yolks
40g sugar*
Pinch of salt
100g + 160g milk**, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp caramel flavouring (optional)

Steps:

1. In saucepan, heat 100g milk until hot but not boiling

2. Whisk yolks, salt & sugar in heavy jug/bowl

3. Pour hot milk in thin stream into egg mix while whisking continuously

4. Pour back into saucepan & cook over medium-low heat, whisking continuously

5. Once custard starts to thicken or reach 71C, remove from heat.

6. Wait for 1 min or until custard is 60C. Add gelatin & whisk until melted

7. Sieve mixture through fine sieve. Add vanilla & 160g milk. Whisk until smooth. Spoon into jars/tart shells to avoid bubbles. Pop bubbles with skewer if need be

8. Refrigerate for at least 2h or overnight. Consume within 3 days. Highly recommend to serve with maple syrup if you are keeping it plain.

* Adjust amount according to taste. Replace/mix with brown sugar for a caramel note.

**🥛Richer: Replace part or all with cream

🥥Non-dairy: Replace with other types of plant milk

🍵Infusion: Heat milk with herbs, tea leaves/flowers

☕ Coffee: Replace part with coffee

🍫Chocolate: Add finely chopped dark chocolate to hot custard, reduce amount of gelatin

🥞Caramel: Sub a small portion with maple syrup & reduce sugar. Use brown sugar

🍓Fruity: Replace half with reduced fruit puree. Reducing over low heat destroys gelatin-destroying enzymes & intensifies fruit flavours.

This is a great way to use up excess yolks too!

Catch a glimpse of the texture and how jiggly it is in my Instagram reel:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CteLk-kAwPu/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

In case you are wondering what the black decorative parts are made of, it is marzipan naturally coloured and flavoured with black cocoa powder. I didn't wait for it to dry at all before placing on the pudding, thinking that it is just for photography so I was going to take photos/videos shortly after decorating. It turned wet so quickly😆. Feel free to use chocolate for the decoration instead. Marzipan works too but make sure you dry it thoroughly and only place it on shortly before consuming. Homemade marzipan, uses only a few ingredients, tastes great and it is easier to work with than chocolate, especially in hot and humid kitchens in Singapore. It works like fondant but tastes much better.

Black cocoa marzipan 

Ingredients:
24g superfine almond flour
18g icing sugar + extra as necessary*
4g black cocoa powder
1/2 tsp water
1 tsp honey (about 4-5g)

* I use icing sugar with cornstarch already added. 

Steps:

1. Sift together almond, icing sugar and cocoa powder. 

2. Add honey and water and mix until a ball of dough forms. 

3. Roll out between parchment paper to 2-3mm. Cut to desired shapes. Dust very lightly with icing sugar if it gets too sticky.

4. Leave marzipan cutouts to dry in the open or loosely covered box at least overnight before using it to decorate. Store any unused marzipan cling wrapped in airtight condition for up to 6 weeks at cool room temperature.

with love,

Phay Shing