Even though I’ve eliminated processed sugar and sweets from my diet, we do still enjoy the occasional dessert. I’ve decided to experiment with different items, all in the low- to no-sugar realm. Oh, and I have to make it, not buy it. This has led to some highly experimental, and surprisingly successful, cooking lately.
For some reason custard came up in conversation recently, which led to a special request for a custard dessert. Although I’ve baked a lot, I’ve never made custard of any sort. Never one to let lack of experience stop me, I got out my go-to cookbook and found a recipe. As it turns out, there are a lot of rules about making custard…bake it in little dishes sitting in a bigger dish filled with water…sitting on a towel…but don’t get water IN the custard or it won’t set…cook it until it’s somewhat set, but not too firm…like I said, a lot of rules. Plus I wanted to make it low-sugar. And I have a dairy allergy, so I’d be using soy milk. All in all, this was starting to sound like a challenging disaster in the making.
I whisked my eggs and (less) sugar, added my steaming (soy) milk, poured it into the cups, properly situated in water, slid it into the oven and hoped for the best. Even after all that change, it came out really good! Change and experimentation are good, they keep things fresh. Maybe next time I’ll try even less sugar…or maybe honey…or maple syrup?
It’s actually fun figuring out how to make foods we like better for us! I just need to put up a sign: ” Warning: Highly Experimental Cooking Ahead.”
sweeter without 