Mango Custard
A silky smooth, refreshing, and the best home-made Mango Custard to serve during the Christmas season or on Christmas day. Its the custard that everyone will love!!!!
Silky mango custarD IS A REAL TREAT during festive season
Silky custard is a big hit, and during festive season, a Mango Custard makes your Christmas that much more special. Give your family the pleasure of that silky Mango Custard this Christmas and I bet you will impress them!
It's summer downunder in Australia and thank goodness happy days are here again. The shops are beaming with people, fully lit up Christmas trees everywhere, people are decorating their homes with colourful Christmas lights, some have already made their Christmas cake and some have their fruit soaking in alchohol!! I am planning to make Christmas sweets soon and just getting into the excitement of collecting the many ingredients required to make all the sweets. Summer in Australia brings all sorts of flavouful and colourful tropical fruits. A Mango Custard tops the list for this Christmas to serve with my Christmas pudding.
When I walked into my local supermarket last week, I saw a few varieties of luscious looking mangoes and I got suddenly inspired to try out a Mango Custard. I chose a deep orange coloured variety called 'Honey Gold' for this custard. This is a very versatile custard and can be prepared with or without mangoes. Kensington Pride and Honey Gold mangoes are my favourites however, you can try other available varieties too. I just love the sweetness, flavour, deep orange colour and the slightly tangy taste of 'Honey Gold' mangoes. What's even better is that the flesh is fibreless. They are large mangoes averaging anywhere between 300-500g each and in fact, the one I bought was 580g, which is absolutely massive!!
This is a pouring custard that is made with only six (6) ingredients and can be made in 25 minutes. Athough making this custard seems daunting to some, it is a breeze after the first attempt. It took me a long time to venture into making custard when I made it for the first time for my cookbook, 'Deliciously Indian'. Ever since the time I posted the recipe in my cookbook, I have been making it for Christmas. Sometimes, I do a plain custard and from time to time I do a brandy custard. This Christmas I was keen to do a mango custard, as it is a refreshing accompaniment to my mildly sweet Christmas pudding.
This custard is different from the Crème Patissiere which is a thicker custard and is used as a pastry cream.
With Honey Gold mangoes in my hand, there was no looking back. I made the Mango Custard and got my tasting team on the job! You will be amazed to hear the comments. Listen to this comment - 'this tastes just the one we had at a restaurant in Sydney'. Oh la la!! Not very often do I get these comments! These comments gave me the boost to try it again and it turned out perfect for the second time. .
I am planning to serve this Mango Custard with my Christmas pudding with freshly cubed mango pieces on the side and some vanilla ice cream for that complete Christmas feast. Why not? It's Christmas and no Christmas is complete in Australia without mangoes!!!
what is a double boiler or bain-marie
A double boiler or Bain-Marie is a type of heated water bath. It is an equipment that is used in cooking to heat materials gently or to keep materials warm over a period of time. Water is placed in one saucepan (approximately half full) and heated . Another small saucepan is placed inside the first saucepan and heated by the simmering water. Essentially, the liquid in the saucepan on the top is heated only with the simmering water from the larger saucepan. Image shown below under the heading 'Custard making Steps and Hints'.
Here I have used a Bain-Marie to heat my custard because custard is delicate and curdles easily with direct heat. The idea is to heat the custard gently over a pot of simmering water, till it thickens.
Chocolate can also be melted in a Bain-Marie.
CUSTARD MAKING STEPS AND HINTS
Weigh all your ingredients and have them ready on the benchtop close to you. Keep your whisk nearby and a wooden or metal spatula close to you. Keep your pot of simmering water ready on the stove.
Fill a large bowl with ice water and keep it ready. This bowl should be large enough to hold the saucepan of prepared custard. We will need this to cool the custard.
Combine the milk and the cream in a deep saucepan. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scoop out the seeds into the saucepan. Throw in the vanilla bean also. Place the saucepan on medium heat and heat the mixture until hot but do not boil the milk, stirring from time to time. Remove from heat and set aside while you whisk the egg yolks.
In a deep bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light, creamy and smooth.
Pour the hot milk in a very steady stream into the yolk mixture, while whisking continuously. Do not add the milk all at once or else the custard will curdle.
Wash the saucepan and transfer the mixture to the saucepan.
Place your saucepan over the pot of simmering water (double boiler or Bain-Marie) and gently heat the custard, stirring continuously, until the custard has thickened (approximately 8 minutes to 10 minutes). If you have a food thermometer, you can insert into the centre of the custard (do not touch the bottom of the saucepan) and the temperature should be between 75°C to 80°C. The custard begins setting at 70°C and will be of pouring consistency.
Alternatively, you know the custard is done when you run your finger over the back of a wooden/metal spoon and it holds a line.
In the last two minutes of cooking, add your mango puree. Stir until well combined.
Remove custard from heat. Place the saucepan into the prepared bowl of ice water. Stir continously, until the custard has cooled. This also prevents it from forming a skin on top. (Check below for delicious custard variations). If you would like a very smooth custard, pass the mixture through a fine sieve, this will breakdown the mango pieces and enhance the flavour of the custard.
Serve on it's own with cubed mango pieces, drizzle over puddings, cakes, stewed fruit, fresh berries, canned fruit, ice cream and pastries.
From time to time, I also like to serve this custard with my favourite jelly as shown in the right image on the top row.
delicious variations
Variation 1: If you want to make plain custard without mango, then do not add mango in Step 8. Once the custard has thickened, simply remove from heat and place in the ice water until completely cooled. Stir custard from time to time to prevent from forming a skin. Pour into serving bowl and refrigerate until required.
Variation 2: If you want to make brandy custard without mango, skip the mango in Step 8, add ¼ cup brandy into the custard when it is cooling in the ice water. Stir well to combine. Cool, then pour into serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Variation 3: If you want to make custard with both mango and brandy, you may do so by adding mango in Step 8. When the custard is cooling in the ice water, add ¼ cup brandy and stir well to combine. Once cooled, pour into serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Variation 4: If you have Cointreau in your home bar, you may add the same quantity of Cointreau instead of brandy to make another variation. Cointreau is an orange flavoured dry liqueur and compliments this custard perfectly.
Important tip: Stir the custard from time to time when it is sitting in the ice water, to prevent it from forming a film.
Mango Custard
Ingredients
- 500 mL full cream milk
- 400 mL thickened cream
- 1 vanilla bean
- Yolk of 8 eggs
- 190 g caster sugar
- 1 cup fresh mango puree I used puree from one Honey Gold mango
Instructions
- Prepare a large bowl with about 12-15 large cubes of ice. Pour 2 cups of cold water. Set aside.
- Combine milk and cream in a heavy based medium size saucepan with a long handle.
- Using a sharp knife carefully split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Combine the seeds and the bean with the milk mixture.
- Place over medium heat and cook stirring constantly for 5-7 minutes until hot (not boiling hot). Do not let the milk form a skin. Remove from heat and leave to infuse till you whisk custard. Remove the vanilla bean.
- In the meantime, whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a separate deep bowl until light and creamy.
- Hold the handle of the saucepan with your left hand and pour the milk mixture in a very thin stream gradually into the egg yolk mixture and whisk vigorously with your right hand till all the milk mixture is combined with the yolk mixture (as shown in the video above). Clean the saucepan and return this mixture to the saucepan.
- Place this saucepan over a pot of simmering water on low to medium heat (Double boiler or Bain-Marie – see blog above) and cook stirring continuously until the custard thickens keeping, the temperature just below boiling point which is 80⁰C. The custard will begin to thicken at 70⁰C and will thicken enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (as shown in the image above). This takes about 7-10 minutes in total. It will continue to thicken more as it is cooling.
- After the custard has begun to thicken slightly, add the mango puree and cook for 2 minutes stirring continuously. Once you add the mango puree, the temperature of the custard decreases. Keep stirring until the mango puree is well combined with custard. Do not boil otherwise the custard will curdle. Remove from heat.
- Place custard immediately in the bowl of prepared ice water. Cool completely (Check out my blog above for subtle but delicious custard variations). Stir the custard cotinously until cooled to prevent from forming a skin. Pour into a serving bowl. Cover well with cling wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve (custard thickens beautifully if left to chill overnight). If you want a very smooth custard, you can pass the mixture through a fine sieve. This will enhance the flavour of the mango.
- Serve with Christmas pudding for a delicious finish to a Christmas dinner or simply garnish with cubed mango and flaked almonds for delicious dessert. You may also serve this custard with other puddings, drizzled on fresh fruits or canned mixed fruits, crumbles, pancakes or stewed fruit. Jump to Christmas Pudding Recipe.
Notes
- I used 1 Honey Gold mango, which was massive weighing 580g with the seed. Honey Gold mango is full of flavour, very fleshy, has a slight tang and has little or no fibre. You may use Kensington Pride mango or feel free to experiment with other available varieties. I cut the mango cheeks and scooped the pulp out. I also used all the flesh from the seed. I pureed all the flesh and obtained 1 cup mango puree. If your mangoes are small, then, you may need two mangoes.
- Important tip: Stir the custard from time to time when it is cooling in the water bath, to prevent it from forming a skin/film.
- If you are entertaining guests on the Christmas day, prepare the custard on the earlier day. The custard thickens beautifully if left in the refrigerator overnight. You may serve this custard warm or cold on pancakes, puddings, crumbles or stewed fruit.
Hi, I’m Catherine!
I’m all about creating tasty Indian dishes with whatever’s on hand, even when I’m short on time or budget. I love turning simple ingredients into flavorful delights. Join me on this culinary adventure where we’ll explore the magic of Indian cuisine, one delicious dish at a time!
