My First Custard

I was flipping through an old vegetarian cookbook last night- the sort that is like, "So vegetarians.. hmm, they eat pasta, or pasta another way, and a stir fry. End stop." So I think I've never made anything out of this cookbook before, but revisiting it I discovered the last recipe on the last page (yes, that would be firmly within the Dessert section, sweet tooth be damned) a recipe for Orange-Pumpkin Spice Custard that was dairy and gluten-free without sounding compromised and potentially gross. Oh, and it also has zero (added, refined) sugar. Extra bonus for one watching her spleen qi.

I got a little nervous toward the end of the mixing ingredients part when folding in the egg whites and seeing them stay together in little clumps amid the rather runny batter, not really assimilated into the mixture in a uniform way and already risking over stirring. But little subsequent victories abounded: nothing dribbled over in the stove, the house smelled wonderful, and while I added five minutes to the cooking time to get the tops to brown up a little more, the inside of the custard was still a smooth consistency. Though I've never made a full-on dairy custard before, I've eaten plenty, and this one does sacrifice some richness and creaminess to the soy, but for being soy and low-fat and no sugar and all the rest, it's a respectable little custard.

The cardamom and lightness of this custard reminded me of the couscous pudding I made a month or two ago that was the impetus for this blog, but I didn't think to add molasses then and it definitely rounds out the flavors. So a note to future rice/couscous puddings-- molasses, maple syrup and ginger.. heck, the rest of the spices from this custard too. The combo and quantities of spice are something this recipe does best.*

*UPDATE: The other person in the house who is not a cat says the spice is "too much," so, as they say in Holland, at your discretion.


(slightly tweaked)
from the Cole's Cooking Companion Series Vegetarian Gourmet

canola oil spray
1 c. soy milk
1 tbl arrowroot powder
2 tbl molasses
1 c. canned or cooked pumpkin puree
1 tbl cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 maple syrup
2 tbl grated orange zest (I didn't have this on hand, so omitted it)
1/4 c. freshly squeezed orange juice (again, no oranges in the house, so Tropicana it was)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 8 custard cups with canola oil.

In a large bowl combine milk, arrowroot, and molasses, and whisk together until blended. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, maple syrup, orange (zest and) juice.

Separate eggs. Beat yolks and add to pumpkin mixture. In a small bowl beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into pumpkin mixture.

Pour mixture into prepared custard cups. Place in a shallow baking pan. Carefully add hot water until level reaches halfway up the sides of the pan. Bake custard until just firm (about 40 minutes). Let cool slightly and serve at once.