Happy Saturday people! We’re back with another recipe, and I have to apologize because this was meant to be published at the beginning of the week. I’ve been struggling getting back into the swing of things after my hiatus during exam season, but I think I am finally starting to get on top of it.
With that being said, I should warn you that there is still a high likelihood of some patches and gaps in my publishing schedule. My goal is that by the end of the month I will be fully back on schedule.
Let’s talk about these custards. I’ve been on a bit of a custard kick recently, which my mom pointed out to me. I told her I thought of custard as a kind of summery thing, but she said she thought of them as more of a cold weather thing. But for this custard, I think of it as a kind of fancy coffee ice cream which feels summery to me. Later this month I have a creme brûlée and a different (very summery) custard headed your way so hopefully I can convince you that custard is the new favorite recipe of the summer.
Describe This Recipe to Me
Taste: This tastes like an elevated coffee ice cream. Bittersweet coffee mixes beautifully with the swirls of vanilla bean and the slightly salty malted milk powder. The two different layers have two separate flavor palettes that compliment each other perfectly. The coffee layer has a much deeper flavor that contrasts the lighter and sweeter top layer.
Texture: These custards are melt in your mouth creamy, and just set enough that they hold their shape on the spoon but still have that delicate structure any good custard should have.
Ease: These custards are of medium difficulty. It’s a relatively simple base, and we don’t have to make two different custards we just use the same one and split it into the two different flavors at the end. It does require us to temper the eggs however, which can be a little tricky. But when done carefully and with attention to the instructions, it’s nothing too difficult.
Why Malt?
Ok so there’s a bit of a backstory on this one. When I was younger, my grandpa would always make me and my brother chocolate malts when we would go to visit. So I wanted to take that flavor and add it to my favorite ice cream flavor, coffee, in a semi-fancy, delicate custard form. And let me say, the slight warm saltiness of the malt compliments the coffee and vanilla beautifully and just helps to round out the whole recipe.
How do we Make These Custards?
These custards follow a pretty classic structure. We start by mixing together our egg yolks and sugar in a different bowl before adding some cornstarch. I don’t mix in the cornstarch, I just let it sit on top of the egg yolks so it doesn’t fully activate yet. Then we start heating up our cream mixed with a little vanilla and malted milk powder. We pour the hot cream into the egg yolks to gently cook them (temper them) before adding everything back to the pan to finish cooking. With the addition of heat and a liquid, the cornstarch will start to thicken the custard. Then all that’s left is to split the custard in half and add some brewed coffee and espresso powder to one half, and a little more vanilla to the other half.
How do we Layer Custards
I wanted these custards to have two distinct layers so we have to start by freezing the coffee layer by itself in the ramekins for about an hour. Then we can layer the vanilla custard on top (which will be refrigerated, not frozen) and then let them chill in the fridge until set. This gives us two different layers that will set beautifully together.
Coffee Malt Custards
Ingredients
Method
- In a medium sized heat safe glass bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. It will be a little thick and clumpy at first but if you keep whisking, it should thin out and lighten slightly in color. Place the cornstarch on top of the egg yolk mixture, but don't mix it in yet. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, whisk together the heavy cream, malted milk powder, and 3 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, slowly and carefully stream about ½ cup of the warm cream into the egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly. Next, slowly pour the tempered egg yolk mixture back into the remaining cream in the saucepan, stirring constantly. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes or until thickened, but still pourable.
- Remove from the heat and immediately run the custard through a sieve to remove any clumps. Pour about ⅔ of the custard into a liquid measuring cup or a different heat safe bowl (preferably with a spout). To this, add the brewed coffee and espresso powder and whisk to combine. Pour this custard evenly between 5 ramekins or serving bowls. Cover with cling wrap and place in the freezer to freeze for 1 hour.
- To the remaining ⅓ of the custard, whisk in the remaining ½ teaspoon of vanilla bean paste. Cover this vanilla custard with cling wrap and place in the FRIDGE while the coffee custards are in the FREEZER.
- After the coffee custards have frozen for 1 hour, pour/ spread the vanilla custard on top of each of them. Cover the layered custards with cling wrap and place them in the fridge to chill for 3 hours.
- Once chilled, serve with a dusting of cocoa powder if desired, and enjoy! Remaining custards will last up to 5 days sealed in the refrigerator.