Coffee Custard Dessert
I love coffee and I love creamy desserts, and I really love creamy coffee desserts. So when I read Martha Stewart’s Favorite Comfort Food Coffee Custard recipe, I thought this might be one to be explored. Easy, scaled down version – this makes 4 servings, and few ingredients, my three-point criteria. This would be nice to double or triple for when you have guests, but for the most part a recipe that will serve 8-12 is in my past. I think this would be an ideal for an afternoon dessert after a day out shopping and you are feeling a little droopy, or just after a nice light lunch, or a light supper if you are not bothered by caffeine. Leave it to Martha to refine a recipe; straining the mixture, the water bath’s gentle cooking makes for a silky custard. This was really velvety, not too sweet, and very comforting. She said you can take a knife and run it around the edge and turn it out upside down and top with chocolate shavings if you have chocolate lovers in your family. May I suggest that you use your prettiest dish to serve this, because it always makes people set up and take notice when dessert comes on a pretty plate. I watch Jacques Pépin whenever I get the chance and listen like I am being tested on his cooking lesson. He said he got in to big trouble with his wife early into his marriage when he commented that the small bubbles in her flan were from having too hot of oven. He remembers that incident all these years later. I guess he learned his lesson, and I learned his lesson also. Thank you Martha, for a great simple recipe that tastes more than it looks. Thank you Jacques Pépin for warning me on how to avoid texture problem with bubbles in a flan or custard, and thank the chef that said to rinse my pot with cold water before adding the milk to avoid scorching my milk. Ok, one caveat, when you are testing these, or doing a trial run, don’t eat too many. I ate one for quality control, and then I had to eat one in the photo. So I have had my daily dose of caffeine for today.Coffee Custard Dessert
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter to butter ramekin
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 large whole egg
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup chocolate shavings – to garnish *optional
Instructions
- Mise en place ~ Gather ingredients
- Place a roasting pan in a 300° F. oven with hot water.
- The water should come up to about three-quarters of your ramekin – so measure before you get started.
- Brush 4 – 6 oz. ramekins with butter; set aside
- Combine milk, cream, espresso in a small pan.
- Bring almost to simmer – remove from heat – set aside.
- Separate 3 of the eggs – save the whites for another recipe like pavlova or meringues.
- Whisk together egg, yolks, sugar, and salt, and vanilla.
- Add a little of the milk to egg mixture whisking so not to curdle the eggs.
- Then add remaining milk mixture; mix again.
- Strain through a strainer to eliminate any egg that may have cooked.
- Bake until custard is set – approximately 35 minutes.
- Remove from oven and water bath; cool for 20 minutes.
- Use a knife to loosen around the edges.
- Turn out onto a dessert plate.
- Garnish with a little shaved chocolate for the chocolate lovers in your life.
Notes
Save your egg whites for meringues, or pavlova. Don’t try to make meringues on a rainy or humid day or you will set yourself up for failure.
3.2.1230
The Café Sucré Farine says
Sounds like a delightful way to get caffeine! Very yummy Ms. Lemon!
Liz says
This looks so good! I love coffee desserts! 🙂
Have a great week!
~Liz
Ms. Lemon says
Thank you so much for stopping by. I think after lemon, anything coffee is my favorite. I hope you will try it.
Wendy says
What a lovely creamy dessert!I love custard in any form but it definitely is finicky. Half the time I end up with beautiful smooth creamy custard and the other half I end up with sweet scrambled eggs. Any hints in addition to straining?
Ms. Lemon says
If you like coffee flavor this is delicious. This is really silky and smooth. Bring the milk almost to simmer, then temper the eggs – that means just pour a small amount of the hot liquid into the eggs, whisking all the while, then a little more, and a little more until it is well blended. You do not cook it on top of the stove, but rather in the water bath. I use a fine strainer that I also use to dust powdered sugar, so it is pretty fine. I strained into a measuring cup, and then poured it into the ramekins. The straining also helps to keep the air bubbles from forming on top. The water bath keeps it from getting too hot so the custard does not get rubbery. I hope this was not too much info, but I do hope you will try it.
Linda says
Gosh, this sounds wonderful! Thanks for the recipe. Take care, Linda
Miz Helen says
We are going to just love this awesome dessert! Hope you are having a great weekend and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
The Tablescaper says
This looks magnificent.
Great to have you at Seasonal Sundays.
– The Tablescaper
Alycia Nichols says
Hi there! This is my 1st visit to your blog via The Tablescaper’s Seasonal Sundays. I love custard, and this looks like a great recipe to try it in a flavor I probably never would have considered on my own. Thank you for the tip regarding rinsing the pan with cold water before warming the milk in it. Would not have considered that, either. And you betcha…I always LOVE to serve custard in pretty cups. That’s half the fun!
Thank you for sharing, and have a wonderful weekend!
Ms. Lemon says
Thank you Alycia for visiting. I wish I could remember the name of the chef that I heard say that about rinsing the pot. It seems to work. I hope you will try it.
Diane says
These look very good! Thanks for the tip about rinsing the pot in cold water – I did not know that!!
bj says
HOOOOLY COW…this looks luscious. Since I love coffee ANYthing, I know this is FOR ME.
Thanks so much for the recipe.
Over from the Table Scaper
Patricia @ ButterYum says
Mmmmm… this is exactly the kind of dessert I love.
Ms. Lemon says
Oh Patricia, if I can get you to say Mmmm.. I have succeeded. You are such a great cook/baker.