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Pumpkin custard has been a go-to treat for me for some time. It hasn’t always been this foolproof, though. There was the Christmas custard disaster of, I believe, 2013. It broke. And if you’ve ever seen a custard break, you will know how crushed my spirit was when I uncovered my treasured dessert and discovered what looked like toxic waste. I’m not sure where my stepbrother disposed of it out at the farm, but I’m pretty sure nothing grew there for a while afterwards. I had no dessert that year. And I still feel the disappointment.
Since then, I’ve been testing recipes and developing my own. I discovered that the reason my custard broke was because I cooked it too long on top of the stove allowing the temperature to reach beyond the safe range for custards. I tried timing it and using a thermometer, but I never felt truly confident that it would turn out right each time. I didn’t want to write a recipe that included, “Close the oven door and say a prayer that everything turns out okay,” in its instructions. I suppose the Christmas custard scars are still a little fresh after two years.
Recently, after a long day and no energy to stand at the stove, I simply decided to whisk everything together and toss it all in the oven in a water bath and see what happened. To my pleasant surprise, it has turned out perfect each and every time.
My recipe uses my own pumpkin spice mix. I use it in this recipe and when I make my own version of turmeric milk. I really like the control that you have over the amount of sugar you include. You could even omit the maple syrup if you were doing a 21-Day Sugar Detox.
This makes about 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of custard. How many that serves is determined by how big a spoon you use when scooping it. Serve this warm out of the oven or chilled. It is yumtastic either way. Trust me.
Ingredients
Pumpkin Custard
1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
1 14 oz can of full fat coconut milk
6 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice mix, see below
1/8 teaspoon of cardamom
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon orange juice
¼ to ½ cup of maple syrup, omit for 21DSD
Pumpkin Spice Mix
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Directions
Start by placing a kettle or pot of water on the stove to heat up. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Add the eggs to a large mixing bowl. Add the coconut milk, the pumpkin puree, the vanilla extra, orange juice, and the spices. Whisk until well combined.
Place in a deep baking dish, like this one. Place the baking dish inside of another pan, like a 13x9 inch cake pan. Place the two dishes on the baking rack. Carefully, pour the hot water from the kettle into the larger pan so the dish with the custard has an inch to 2 inches of water coming up the sides. This is a water bath. It will allow the custard to steam as it cooks.
Bake at 350 degrees until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean, about 60 minutes. Serve warm from the oven or refrigerate and serve cold. Either way, it is yumtastic.
