Thursday Recipe - Almond Coconut Custard

Most of my family is allergic to milk, hence my quest to find a really good milk-free pudding recipe. I think this one really nails it. You want to make it at least 1-2 days ahead of when you want to use it. It needs time to cool and the texture really improves after the first 24 hours, especially if you whisk it really well a couple of times.

I bought coconut milk from a local Asian grocery store. A whole case of it was pretty cheap. You may have to search for it at your local stores. Use the full fat version for this recipe. It needs the creaminess. It was similar to this one:

I found almond milk at Costco. It's pricier than Rice Dream, which is our usual milk substitute, but Rice Dream doesn't cook well. Almond milk gives it a great taste and body, especially if you use the vanilla flavored variety.

Almond Coconut Custard

1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 t. salt
2 c. almond milk
2 c. coconut milk
4 egg yolks (use the whites for divinity)
2 T. butter
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. almond extract

Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a 3 quart saucepan. Stir in almond and coconut milk and egg yolks. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir for one minute. Remove from heat. Add butter and extracts. Stir until butter is melted and pudding is smooth.

Pour into a bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the pudding, pressing it down on the surface and sealing it to the sides of the bowl. I find a ceramic, Corelle, or metal bowl works best for this. Refrigerate the pudding for at least four hours until thoroughly chilled. Beat with a hand whisk until pudding is smooth. Cover and return to refrigerator overnight.

Whisk pudding before using in banana cream pie or serving as pudding. We like to set ours out with a variety of mix-ins and let the kids build their own fancy pudding.

Mix-in suggestions - cookies like Oreos or Teddy Grahams or Cream Wafers, fresh fruit - especially bananas or strawberries or blueberries, mini-marshmallows, chocolate chips, M&Ms, or whatever else you like with your pudding.