Coconut cream custard with oranges and caramelised walnuts recipe

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You can see that I’m keen on coconut milk and cream and find so many ways to use them as the base for a dessert. This is partly because their inherent sweetness means I don’t need to add much sugar, but mainly I just love their great flavour and seductive richness. When I add honey I always suggest raw honey; I consider it the benchmark in flavour and quality as it hasn’t been heated beyond the minimum required to be able to pour it into a jar, though I know it’s not as readily available as commercial honey.

  • Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons raw honey
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • ½ vanilla bean, halved lengthways, seeds scraped
  • 2 oranges, peeled, white pith removed, flesh segmented
  • Splash of Cointreau (optional)
  • Finely grated zest of 1 lime (optional)
Custard
  • 1 x 400 ml tin coconut milk
  • 100 ml coconut cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 2 tablespoons raw honey
  • 1 tablespoon cornflour
  • 2 free-range eggs
  • Pinch of ground cinnamon
  • Pinch of sea salt flakes
Caramelised walnuts
  • ½ cup (50 g) walnuts
  • 20 g icing sugar, sifted
How to Make It
  1. To make the custard, place the coconut milk, coconut cream, vanilla and honey in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until almost boiling.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornflour, eggs, cinnamon and salt until well combined. Whisking constantly, gradually pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, then return to the pan. Stir over medium heat with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat, then strain through a sieve into a jug. Serve hot or cold.
  3. For the caramelised walnuts, preheat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced). Place the walnuts on a baking tray and cook for 8 minutes or until lightly toasted. Pour into a clean tea towel and rub off the skins while still warm. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C (fan-forced). Place the walnuts in a small bowl, splash lightly with water, then dust with the icing sugar. Spread in a single layer over a baking tray lined with baking paper and cook for 8 minutes or until caramelised. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
  4. Place the honey and 2 tablespoons water into a very small saucepan. Bring to the boil over low heat, then simmer for 3 minutes or until the bubbles become thick and glossy – just before they start to colour. Stir in the cinnamon stick, vanilla bean seeds and scraped bean, the orange segments and the Cointreau, if using. Shake the pan for another 2 minutes or until just combined. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  5. To serve, divide the custard among serving bowls. Top with a generous spoonful of oranges and scatter with caramelised walnuts and zest, if using.
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