Well we're into the third day of 2012... hoping that you have recovered well and truly from your New Years celebrations! How did your celebrations go? I kept it simple and went to bed early to be fresh for the next day as we had a New Years brunch planned at our house. To be honest I'd rather enjoy New Years day than stay up late the night before! Yes I believe I am what you call a "Party Pooper"!
Now that summer is in full swing it is time to get your summer dessert making dance on and whip this delicious spiced custard up in a jiffy. Fresh, fragrantly ripe mangoes are a necessity for this recipe and since they're in season at the moment there is no better excuse to add this recipe to your dessert list for this week. If you so happen to forget to make this after mango season has finished tinned mangoes will suffice but it just won't be the same... So get your dessert making jig on and print this recipe off... TODAY!
This pudding is so easy to make and has a delicious twist of Indian inspired spices such as cardamom and cinnamon. They are not over powering but blend subtly into the background creating a delightfully fragrant custard. Whole spices are a must as they lend a better flavour then ground spices plus they can be easily removed once there use is finished.
For the sweet saffron mango topping a small pinch of real saffron is required. This spice can't really be substituted for any other I'm afraid and I know it is horrendously expensive. I have a small vial on hand and I have found you can buy saffron at a reasonable price from the spice section of the supermarket for $6 -$7 which should last you for sometime.
This dessert can be made a few hours ahead of time so it would be perfect for a dinner party or bbq saving you precious preparation time. It is best served cold but you could remove it from the fridge 15 minutes prior to serving to take the cold edge of it.
Spiced Custard with
Sweet Saffron Mango
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Custard:
4
cups milk
4tbsp
custard powder
¼
cup sugar
24
green cardamom pods
2
cinnamon quills
200ml
water, boiling
4
tsp gelatine
Sweet
Saffron Mangos:
4
mangoes, flesh finely sliced into strips
5
tbsp sugar
5
tbsp water
2
large pinches saffron
Method:
In a large saucepan place 3 ½
cups of milk, with the remaining ½ cup add the custard powder and dissolve. Add
custard mixture to the remaining milk along with the cinnamon quills, cardamom
and sugar.
Bring to the boil on a medium
heat; simmer gently stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Remove from
heat.
Mix the boiling water and
gelatine together in a small bowl and stir until dissolved. Add to custard
mixture and place saucepan back on low heat. Stir for 2-3 minutes until mixture
thickens even more. Remove from heat and pull out spices and discard.
Ladle out
custard evenly among serving glasses and place into the fridge for 3-4 hours
until custard is set.
In a small saucepan place the
sugar, saffron and water. Simmer for 5 min on a medium heat, stirring
constantly. (*The sugar mixture may start to caramelize and if it does so
before 5 min go straight to the next step)
Add the sliced mango pieces
and mix through the sugar mixture and simmer for a further 2 min until the
mixture reduces slightly. Remove from heat and cool completely. Place on top of
set custard and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Garnish with mint leaves.
This would go down well with a nice glass of dessert wine or light beer on a warm and hot summers night! What's your favourite thing to eat on a hot summers night?
