Custard.
Custard is something which is made quite often in our house! Usually, it is to pour over a crumble or a sponge pudding. Occasionally it is to make banana-custard and sometimes it is just to eat as it is!
My late Mum taught me how to make egg free custard at an early age, so it is something which comes naturally easy to me. Today, I am sharing this recipe as I realised that other people still buy the ready made tins or tetra-paks and not only is this expensive, but it creates more waste than is necessary.
The Custard Recipe
The best thing about making your own is that you can customise it to your own tastes. If you like it as runny as single cream great. If you want it as thick as blancmange (do you remember blancmange) then you can make that too. Of course, you can then make everything in between from pourable to spoonable and add flavourings too. Turn yours into chocolate custard with the addition of cocoa, drinking chocolate powder or real chocolate. Add strawberry essence to get that retro pink-school-custard (chocolate crunch anyone?) or, dare I mention the C word at the start of September? You can add your favourite tipple to get a great flavoured sauce to go over a certain pudding!
Homemade custard!
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornflour (or custard powder)
- 1 pint (568ml) milk (I use unsweetened oat) (or use part cream)
- few drops vanilla essence (can omit if using custard powder)
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Put the sugar and the cornflour (or custard powder) in a small bowl and add 3 or 4 tablespoons of milk from the pint. Mix together well until you have a smooth paste. (If making chocolate custard, add a spoonful or 2 of cocoa powder at this stage).
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Heat the remaining milk in a saucepan until just before boiling (there will be small bubbles around the edge of the pan). Turn the heat down.
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Using a whisk, drizzle the paste into the hot milk, whisking constantly. The custard will start to thicken the longer you leave it.
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Add the vanilla (or other liquid flavouring) and stir in. Do a taste test for sweetness and flavour and adjust if necessary. If your mix is too runny, make a bit more paste and add in, if it thickens too much, add a bit more milk.
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Remove from the heat and serve.
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Enjoy!
What do I need?
As this is in the back to basics series, I have tried to make this recipe as simple as possible so you can easily make your own delicious homemade custard. Hopefully, you already have everything you need, but if you are new to cooking or your kitchen needs a refresh, here are a few useful things for this recipe. I receive a small commission if you click and purchase through these links (this is at no additional cost to you)!
Serving
You can serve this hot, warm or cold. Pour it over crumble, or sticky toffee pudding along with a side of ice-cream (well, why not)! Slice some bananas to make banana-custard (sorry in advance to all my banana hating friends) or add some berries! Make a trifle with sponge, jelly and fruit, using this as the last layer (or add cream last). Or, just eat it as it is!
Storage
You can store custard in the fridge once it has cooled for up to 3 days. Make sure you cover it with something touching it (silicon covers are great for this) to prevent a skin from forming. The custard may separate slightly in the fridge but just stir it and it will come back together. If re-using from the fridge, you can reheat it in the microwave or a pan.
Sharing
I hope you have a go at making this (easier than using egg yolk) custard. I do love seeing your adaptions and interpretations of my recipes and I’d love to see your photos (with or without crumbles and sponges)! What will you serve yours with? Please share and tag me @LifeDietHealth or using #LifeDietHealth on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook or Twitter.
Leave me a comment below… I love to chat!
I hope to speak with you soon
Laurena x
