Mock Cheese Cake

Sometimes in the spur of the moment I tend to make something out of the ordinary.When I  create a new recipe ,I usually eyeball the ingredients and the dish emerges as the best I could have ever made.Lately   I have been playing around with custard powder inventing  new desserts which at the beginning became a total disaster but then with a lot of trial and error ,I learnt to use and balance the correct amount of ingredients  to make something  interesting.

I made custard pudding using fresh mangoes and apples , instead of the usual  pudding dish i used a  springform tray to set the pudding in .And what a transformation the springform tray did to my pudding.It had the typical  look of a cheese cake and anyone looking at it would think I had made cheesecake .At least a mock cheese cake to devour on a breezy afternoon.

For a thick  custard pudding ( my mock cheese cake)

1 litre milk

1 cup custard powder

1/2 tin condensed milk

1 small apple grated

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 cup sugar or to taste

1 tsp vanilla essense

A little less than a cup of water

For the pudding base

Tea biscuits to fill a springform baking tray ( single layer)

Hot coffee to dip biscuits ( not to soak)

1 tablespoon sugar

For the topping

2 big juicy mangoes

1 tablespoon sugar

Preparation

Step 1- Dip the tea biscuits in hot coffee and in a single layer fill the springform tray.keep aside .

Step 2 -Make a thick paste of the custard powder using water.set aside.In a heavy bottom pan,add the milk,condensed milk,sugar and the custard paste and cook till it thickens.Then add the grated apple,lemon zest and the vanilla essense and stir it continuously till the the custard is very thick (the custard should not be creamy but very thick consistency) . Pour the custard into the springform tray and evenly level  it with the help of a spatula .Keep it aside to cool and then refrigerate  to chill.

Step 3 - With your  handy manual  kitchen grater ,grate the mangoes.It will have a kind of pureed consistency . Mix into it 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Remove chilled custard pudding from refrigerator and top it with the fresh  mango puree and refrigerate again for a couple of hours.

To serve, carefully remove the  top part of springform tray  ,place the pudding  on a serving platter with the bottom of the tray still intact.Cut into wedges ( how big the slice is according to your preference).

Caramel Pudding

This a recipe that I adapted from an old recipe book.It is still very much appreciated by many in my home country.I did a bit of changes when I tried it.The caramel is usually poured first into a mould to evenly coat the mould and then the pudding mixture is poured in.I usually make extra caramel and pour it over the pudding once it's done.This pudding can be eaten hot or cold.

For the caramel
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons water

For custard
4-5 eggs
3/4 pint milk
A little sugar (1 tablespoon) but do not make it too sweetened
a drop of vanilla flavoring
A pinch of salt

Method for making the caramel
In a pan ,bring to a quick boil the sugar and water.When it turns brown, pour it into a mould.Evenly coat the mould with the syrup.( the caramel will immediately harden).Set aside.

Now make the custard-Beat the eggs and add the vanilla falvouring,salt and lastly the sugar.Heat the milk and slowly pour over the egg mixture, stirring all the time .Gently pour this custard into the prepared mould.Cover with a buttered paper and steam for an hour.Let it stand for a few minutes before turning it out into a serving dish.Once it is turned ,the caramel will form a sauce round and over the pudding.

What's For Dessert?

I love to give a home made touch to ready-made food that is bought from the supermarket.The other night I had invited some guests for dinner ,while the menu for dinner was cooked from scratch ,I didn't have enough time to plan out a proper dessert.That's when I thought I 'll make a custard pudding straight from an instant pudding packet.Now from there on, I innovated a made- at- home look to the pudding.Once the pudding was made according to the instructions on the packet,I lined a dish with a layer of coconut biscuits ( soaked in syrup).Over this,I poured the custard pudding.I kept it in the refrigerator for it to set.When the pudding was set ,I topped the pudding with glazed cherries,that I had made earlier in the day.Everyone liked it and commented that it really tasted fresh and good.

Another day ,I cooked bananas in sugar syrup and enjoyed with some vanilla ice cream