Baked Brown Sugar Custard

Make this rich, silky baked custard this weekend. Thank me later. 


Baked  brown sugar custard with dates

10 fresh dates, pitted and cut in half - See Note

1 vanilla bean, split lengthways & seeds scraped

 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) pouring (whipping) cream

375 ml (13 fl oz/11/2 cups) milk

10 large egg yolks

140 g (5 oz/3/4 cup) soft brown sugar

fresh nutmeg, for grating

serves 6

Preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F/Gas 2–3). Grease an 8 cm (31/2 inch) deep, 1.5–2 litre (52–70 fl oz/6–8-cup capacity), non-metallic baking dish. Evenly distribute the date halves around the bottom of the dish — it should be a neat fit.

Put the vanilla bean and seeds in a saucepan with the cream and milk over medium heat and slowly bring just to the boil. Remove from the heat, then cover and allow to infuse for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until smooth. Strain the infused milk mixture and gradually whisk it into the egg yolks until smooth. Carefully pour the mixture over the dates, trying not to disturb them. Finely grate enough nutmeg over the custard to lightly cover the surface.

Place the baking dish in a large roasting tin, then pour in enough warm water to come halfway up the side of the baking dish. Bake for 11/2 hours, or until the custard is dry and golden on top but still a little wobbly.

Remove the baking dish from the oven, but leave it in the water bath for 10 minutes. Carefully lift the baking dish from the water bath and allow the custard to rest for a further 10 minutes, before serving on its own or with some lightly whipped cream.

NOTE: You can omit the dates - or use Prunes, fresh figs, rum soaked raisins or similar.


Recipe Copyright  - Jane Lawson from her cookbook 'Grub - Favourite Food Memories'
published by Murdoch Books
Photo by Steve Brown http://www.stevebrownphotography.com/

Purin プリン

Friendly faced Purin cups. 

Purin is the Japanese version of what our friends in America may call pudding cups, what those of us in Oz probably call creme caramel and others may call flan - it is chilled, baked custard with caramel in the base, which becomes a sauce/topping when the custard cup is inverted. 

Purin appears on menus and in supermarkets across Japan. When something takes off in Nihon it really takes off and there are even plush toys and phone straps dedicated to the humble purin. 

There is no escape from purin in all its glorious forms and flavours - pumpkin is a bit of a person fave. That is all. 

Strawberry Milk Dorayaki

Well this was a first.  Found in Okayama. Strawberry flavoured Dorayaki gong cakes filled with strawberry milk filling. 

Usually the outside pancake-ish layer is plain with a traditional filling of sweet red beans. These days  they sometimes contain matcha (green tea) in the pancakes and also folded through whipped cream which can accompany the red beans. Also it is becoming popular to fill the gongs with various flavours of custard. But I've never seen one quite like this.  Shoulda grabbed one. 

Grains De Vanille

Um. If you are in Kyoto and appreciate a fine dessert....Go here.  That is all. 

WARNING: Sweet Porn ahead

I chose the milk chocolate, caramelised hazelnut and lemon dome below. It was heaven. One of the best desserts I've thrown down my gullet. And that is saying something. When I move my base back to Kyoto I will need to ensure I don't live anywhere near this shop. 

They do a decent cuppa too - variety of teas or coffee - made with as much care as the cakes and desserts. 

There are plenty of take out options that don't need to be kept refrigerated  - grab yourself a little basket and fill from the wall of friands, financiers, dacquoise, jams etc...

Yep, that's the name  - don't forget it.  Superb!!

GRAINS DE VANILLE

On Ainomachi street just north of Nijo on the eastern side of the street.

Ran Hotei ランほてい

I have been meaning to post about this special place for so long. Feeling more than a little guilty Randy san! Gomenasai.....

I'd stopped into Ran Hotei a couple of times when shopping in Sanjo Shotengai (an old fashioned shopping arcade on Sanjo Street on the western edge of Kyoto city) to enjoy some of their completely addictive desserts (like the kinako and caramel fudge cake above - TO DIE FOR!), wonderful selection of teas and drinks and even to grab some take out such as the Matcha (green tea) fudge cake and the Houjicha pudding (roasted green tea flavoured creamy custard) both below - but on the third occasion I managed to meet the now famous owner Randy Channell - an ex-pat Kyoto local who has become a master of tea. Randy-san both performs and teaches tea ceremony and has, many times over, been the subject of Japanese TV programmes and magazine articles on the matter. 

To be honest I was expecting someone of his talents and long standing within the community to possibly be a little snobbish or at the least frustrating... Some foreigners residing in Japan try a little too hard to 'become Japanese' which can be equally jarring to fellow ex-pats and the Japanese locals ... But he was NONE of that. Really down to earth, passionate about what he does and trying his best to share his knowledge and maintain a successful business.

If you are looking for some education in English about the art of Japanese Tea in a non intimidating way (held in an intimate space above the teahouse) - or just a really lovely spot for a cuppa and something sweet - or some of Randy's homemade curry (he was making some while I was there - it was also delish!) then do look up Randy Channell or Ran Hotei.

The space is really lovely for spending time in  - particularly towards the back of the teahouse/cafe - I love the old tiles and manhole cover inserted into the flooring on the way to the bathroom by the garden which is an unexpected tranquil patch in an old school shopping arcade. There are many finds like these in Kyoto an I love stumbling across them - but it is also nice to have a heads up when you are planning a trip so I am happy to be able to share them with you. Sanjo shotengai is a a short walk south from Nijo Station and worth making a visit if you are in the area.  The "local" vibe in the arcade is a nice step away from the regular tourist haunts. 

And for a closer look at the sweet stuff....

Houjcha pudding

                     Caramel fudge cake with kinako (nutty roasted soybean powder) cream

Matcha fudge cake with fresh cream

Sweet Kyoto

I'm not exactly sure why but I do seem to be on a bit of a sugar trip at the moment. You only have to look at a few of my recent posts to see what I mean.. (eg Wagashi, Gramercy NY in Takashimaya, and my Gluten free banana bread recipe)

I just stumbled across the menu below from an ice cream joint in Kyoto (BEEHIVE). I've been having a giggle at some of the names and flavours.  The Ayers Rock comes with coffee ice cream and kitkats... noice.

The London bridge has royal milk tea ice cream, cornflakes, cashews and whipped cream... go figure

However this is far more enticing as far as I am concerned. Kakigori. Shaved ice with black sugar syrup, rice flour dumplings, sweet red beans, soft-serve ice cream. 

I love the seasonal breads and sweet buns at the local bakeries - below - for spring - note the pretty pinks and greens or sakura (cherry blossom) and green tea

Perhaps a cake topped with breakfast?

 Just a few of my random foodie snaps from the streets of Kyoto - I'll add more from time to time... 

UPDATE

16/9/2014 - well it took me a while to get back here didn't it?... Here's my Kyoto Sweet collection from Autumn 2013.

Autumnal motif sweets from October 2013 above and 2 shots below. The purple numbers directly below are called 'autumn dress' - a type of mont blanc made with purple sweet potatoes.

The baked goods below are all made from sweet potato

Eclairs are in fashion everywhere these days... these are extra long 'baguette' eclairs.

Below are maple walnut flavoured. 

Souffle-pudding in an egg and Rich vanilla custard tarts

Autumn macaron - featuring chestnuts as does the chestnut mont blanc below.

Apple and pumpkin pudding  tart from one of my favourite patisseries  - Giotto  - in Daimaru Department store.

Sweet (and some savoury) breads and pastries also from Daimaru

Sweet breads filled with sweet butter cream, or custard and nuts -so good

For the little (or grown up) princess in your life....

 To be continued.....

These are a few of my favourite (sweet) things....

"Western" style cakes and pastries have become extremely popular in Japan during the last few decades however very few homes (at least in Kyoto) have 'western' style ovens to bake them in. As a result there are plenty of wonderful pre-made goodies available for taking home or visiting friends.  

In the basement foodhall of Takashimaya department store (corner of Shijo and Kawaramachi streets in the centre of town) is one of my favourite places for picking up medication for my sweet tooth - 'Gramercy New York'. I'm yet to decipher the connection to the big apple but hey.... I don't actually care.  Their stuff rocks! Looks great and tastes better. 

And I love that you get to keep the little baskets or cups they are presented in (ie the ceramic or glass  versions - not plastic ok!!) . You can see from above that the prices are pretty reasonable for such quality. Currently you are looking at about 100 yen to the Australian Dollar so you'd be paying an average of about $5.50 a piece.  Absolutely worth it. (and half what we would pay in Oz for the good stuff!)

and, and, AND... in summer they sell THE most amazing almond tofu (annindofu /annin tofu -below) - served chilled with fruits in syrup. Oh god, I can taste it now. I think a container of this may have been responsible for saving my life on one particularly cruel summer's day. Refreshing, creamy, sweet and restorative.

Koishi ＆ Kakigori こいし ＆ かきごおり

As we head into Summer with a balmy 30C Sydney Sunday I'm reminded of the Kyoto Summer I am still recovering from. One form of sweet relief I wish I'd managed to snaffle more of was Kakigori or shaved ice,  topped with a sweet syrup of your choice - one of my favourites made with condensed milk and Japanese black sugar. The version above, from one of Kyoto's most famous sweets shops, includes a good dollop of anko (sweetened red (azuki) beans  - divine. 

The shaved ice in a quality Kakigori is as fine as freshly fallen snow and dissolves very quickly on the tongue  - similar to the way fairy floss disappears upon contact with saliva. So refreshing on a super hot day, the sugar also giving one an instant boost just when you feel like you can never rehydrate again...

The dessert set above included a a mini parfait with dango (dumplings made with rice flour) and chestnuts with green tea ice cream and as you can see below there was quite a choice of modern style parfait and more traditional sweets and drinks. 

Modern "fusion" parfait including cake, fruit, ice cream, jelly made with kuzu starch, chewy dango made with rice flour, cream...

Above includes one of my favourites -traditional sweet - warabi mochi - on the rhs - with black sugar syrup for drizzling over. 

Koishi, an ame-ya or sweet shop in Gion, is famous for its prettily packaged, boiled candy with pure flavours such as shiso, ume (plum), yuzu, green tea and lemon... I am not normally a "lolly" kinda gal but these are really good  - mostly just sugar with natural flavours but some of the modern varieties include yoghurt or milk. A wonderful treat for both adults and kiddies.  

The salt flavour (only available in Summer and strangely addictive - see pic below) apparently helps replace a little of the sodium you lose in perspiration so its not a bad thing to carry around with you during the hideously hot months.

You will find this fabulous Kyoto store on the north side of Shijo street - a few minutes walk west of the entrance to the Yasaka shrine on Higashioji street.  Below is an image of the shopfront so you know what you are looking for!