Be warned: today’s recipe is fancy. Nevermind that it’s super easy and insanely indulgent, I know it must be fancy because it was created by a real gourmet chef. It comes from Living Gluten and Dairy-Free with French Gourmet Food, except in the book it’s not called something bourgeois like Coconut Custard — it’s called Pots de Coco. See? Undeniably French.
On the one hand, I would say this is not a cookbook for beginners. This is the one you’ll want to have around when you’re ready to really show off your mad skillz. Say, when all this hard work you’re doing finally pays off, and your formerly-autistic, recently-engaged child wants you to bake them a GFCF Champagne-Cointreau Chiffon wedding cake. (I’ve got that page bookmarked, myself.) But on the other hand, the whole first half of the book is an incredibly detailed breakdown of how to get started on the diet, including a whopping 34-page shopping guide. So I sure could have used it back in the early days, too. C’est la vie.
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The thing is, being a European, Chef Braux gives all the ingredients by weight. Fortunately, I speak French-measurements (as opposed to actual French, which I definitely do not speak,) and have translated for you here. Start with 2 cans of Thai Kitchen coconut milk. [As always, the brands I use were GFCF at the time of posting, but manufacturers can change formulas without warning. Always check your labels!]
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I do actually own a little kitchen scale, for occasions such as this. All the recipes in this cookbook are in American ounces, but if you’re going to bother getting a scale, it’s important to choose one that can convert to metric (grams) as well. The truth is, weight is often a better way to do things, especially when baking. First off, you can fit up to 50% more or less flour into a “cup,” depending on how much you pack it down; what’s more, different flours have different densities, so if you substitute one GF flour for another you’ll end up with a completely different result — unless you use the same number of ounces, rather than the same size. But for things like sugar… meh. The recipe called for 12 ounces…
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…which ended up being exactly 2 cups of sugar. Go figure.
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Next, we’re going to mix in some shredded coconut. The more familiar bags of wet coconut that you find in the baking aisle should be gluten-free, but they’re also packed with preservatives. I prefer this stuff, but whatever floats your boat.
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Important lesson here: the recipe called for 4 ounces of coconut, or 1/3 the weight of the sugar. But because coconut is so much lighter, this ended up being a little over 1 cup of shredded coconut, or more than half as much quantity as the sugar. You definitely can’t switch back and forth between weight and size on an even ratio.
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Anyway, dump your coconut into your bowl, and add 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
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Also mix in 2 teaspoons of Adam’s Extract vanilla. Vanilla is one of those sneaky things that can often contain gluten, but Adam’s Extract is gluten-free in both liquid and powder form.
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Scramble six eggs and blend them thoroughly into your custard batter, making sure there are no random yellow streaks left floating around in there.
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Now, a proper gourmet chef would use ramekins to cook their individual servings of custard. But if I have taught you anything, it is that I am not a gourmet chef, and most of the time I’m not even proper. So instead I am using these silicone baking cups, which happen to be heart-shaped for added cuteness. They’re great for muffins and jello too, by the way.
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Set them inside a large baking dish with sides, and fill each cup with batter.
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Then carefully pour water into the baking dish, until it comes halfway up the sides of the custard cups. This will ensure an even temperature around your delicate little desserts. Pop them in a 350 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes, until the tops feel somewhat firm and the center is no longer jiggly. The larger your baking cups, the longer it will take to cook.
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While that’s cooking, we’re going to make a delicious fruit sauce to go on top, which I’m told is a coulis in French. The recipe suggested raspberries, but I didn’t have any, so strawberries it shall be. Thaw about 1/2 cup of whatever fruit you want for one minute in the microwave (or use fresh fruit, and use the extra minute to feel smug about it.)
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Then add 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Watch your ingredients carefully here! Sugar doesn’t actually come in “powder” form, instead they take cane juice and add it to an existing powder base. Usually it’s corn starch, but it can often include regular flour as well, so double check. The best ones will use tapioca starch instead.
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Add 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice to the mixture…
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And blend away! It’s hard to do such a small quantity in a regular blender, but a food processor or immersion blender will get the job done.
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When your coconut custards come out of the oven, refrigerate them until you’re ready to serve, at least an hour or two. Drizzle some of your strawberry coulis on top, and revel in your gourmet skills. Heck, I might even buy myself a tall white hat.
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Bon Appetit!
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Coconut Custard with Strawberry Sauce
2 cans Thai Kitchen coconut milk
2 cups sugar
1 cup shredded coconut
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 eggs
1/2 cup strawberries
1/4 cup GF powdered sugar
1/4 tsp lemon juice
I can understand the powdered sugar as a garnish, like over a cake or down the the front of a cop’s uniform. But since it doesn’t taste sweet, why add it to something you’re cooking or mixing? Is there some kind of chemical reaction with other ingredients?
Powdered sugar doesn’t taste sweet? Try a spoonful straight out of the box sometime… 🙂 Old fashioned frosting is nothing but straight powdered sugar plus a little almond milk and oil, and that stuff will put you in a diabetic coma.
I’m SNORTING w/laughter. First the ‘smug’ remark, then the diabetic coma! Thank you ever-so-much for weaving hilarity into these recipes. You’re GOOD…..reeeeeeeeeaaallll goooooood, as Andy Griffith used to say!