Custard Pops {From Scratch}


Vanilla-studded custard or pudding or whatever you want to call it - is one of my favourite foods ever. I was ever so obsessed when I was pregnant, and even now I'm not one to pass up some cold creme anglaise, straight from the carton fridge.

But I don't like the added colours and stabilisers and thickeners in the store-bought stuff. Or the lumpiness that eventuates when I try to make custard from scratch. Or the fact that most custard recipes rely on cream {because I almost never have any in the fridge when I desire custard}. 

So I was pretty happy to find a super-easy recipe for milk-based vanilla custard from the BBC.

At the moment, I'm traveling, writing this from a hotel room in Tempe, Arizona, while my daughter devours Babybel cheese and baby carrots on the couch. We've had coffee and swimming and are totally going here later for happy hour and bruschetta. {I'll let you know how it is!}. But I love these custard pops, and brought the photos along with me because I think you'll love them, too.

And please forgive the slightly-pornographic popsicle molds. That's what you get for going with stainless steel over plastic, and I don't know about you but I'm happy to have phallus-shaped popsicles if they're BPA-free :)
Amanda xx

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Vanilla Custard Pops
makes 2.5 cups' worth

This is a light-ish vanilla custard, and retains just enough of that graininess that I can never seem to escape with the homemade variety. BUT if you freeze it in your favourite popsicle molds, you won't even notice. It'll taste amazing, and it'll have that beautiful, thick, slightly-crumbly texture that frozen custard has. Do it.

The time
30 min cooking + 2 hrs freezing

The ingredients
2 cups whole milk 
100g raw sugar
seeds from 1 vanilla pod*
3 large, organic egg yolks
50g cornflour {cornstarch}

*remove the seeds in step 1 below, then toss the pod into a jar of sugar, for vanilla-scented sugar; add it to your jar of homemade vanilla extract; or make it into cookies, like Heidi does.

**try to use organic when you can!


The process
1. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod into a saucepan {save the pod for the ideas above}, and stir in the milk and 1/2 of the sugar. Warm over medium heat - stirring pretty regularly, if not constantly - until the mixture is gently boiling. Then remove from heat and set aside.

2. Place the 3 egg yolks into a separate bowl with the rest of the sugar and the cornstarch. Mix thoroughly.
 
3. Then, progressively pour 1/2 the warm milk mixture into the yolk mixture, stirring as you go.

4. Return the remaining milk to a gentle boil. Stirring quickly and continuously, add the yolk/milk mixture to the gently boiling milk and mix until it thickens to the texture of a runny custard. It should coat your spoon, but probably won't glop off of it. {And yes, I just made up the word glop. Like it?}

5. Cover and cool the custard before pouring it into popsicle molds and freezing till solid {about 2 hrs}.

The cost
$2-$3 for a hefty batch of organic vanilla custard pops. And a great excuse to buy marked-down milk!

Comments

  1. Is 100 g of sugar equal to one-half cup?

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  2. Those Popsicle sticks are priceless!!! Have lovely travels.

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  3. Yum! I love making frozen things from scratch. Actually, I love making almost everything from scratch and these are no exception. You described them so perfectly!

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  4. Hi Anon - I'd say yes. Maybe slightly less for raw sugar as it's pretty heavy. Sorry, as soon as I get back to a kitchen I can measure for you :)

    Renee - I know! Robbie and I have a laugh every time we pull one out of the freezer :)

    Loretta - why thank you! hope you enjoy :)

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  5. Wow, you were inside my head with that last paragraph. I was seriously like, "Amanda! The shape of those molds!"

    Hey, I'll be in the same state as you later this week. Going to spend a few days in Sedona!

    c.

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  6. @CherylHa! Great minds! Have a great time in Sedona ... it's so purty there :) All I have to say is:

    Oak Creek Brewery. Nut Brown Ale.

    Cheers! xx

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  7. I pour leftover smoothies into popsicle molds all the time. Though NOT custard and NOT into BPA-free molds. I'll have to correct both of those. Thanks for the beautiful (if phallic) ideas!

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Thanks for commenting! Amandaxx