As we entered the last week of Ramadan, we have two decadent custard-based desserts to share with you. A very important ingredient in making custard, is egg. We recommend using QL Delifresh eggs as they contain 40% less cholesterol than normal eggs, and can stay fresh in the refrigerator longer than normal eggs, due to the quality feed used to feed the chickens and stringent farming conditions. In our kitchen, QL eggs can last up to 4 weeks in the refrigerator. Combined with the right techniques and fresh eggs, you will have rich and smooth custard every time.
The first dessert, cream puffs with sweet corn custard, is made up of two parts, the puffs, made using Choux pastry (which are used to make other French pastries such as profiteroles and éclairs), and the sweet corn custard. The dough of the puff is cooked twice, first on the stove/cooker to incorporate the butter, water, flour and eggs; and then baked in the oven to complete the cooking.
As for the custard, you will need constant stirring on low heat to ensure the success of smooth custard free from lumps. Custards should always be cooked over low heat to prevent the eggs from being scrambled or curdled. To achieve this, you need to temper the eggs (a critical process used when adding raw eggs to a warm mixture, without scrambling the eggs), which we will illustrate in the recipe steps.
Ingredients
For the puffs: | ||
|---|---|---|
| 250 ml | water | |
| 150 g | plain flour, sifted | |
| 50 g | butter, cut into cubes | |
| 2 tsp | caster sugar, sifted with flour | |
| 3 | QL Deli Fresh eggs, lightly beaten | |
| Pinch of salt | ||
For the custard: | ||
| 250 ml | milk | |
| 50 g | sugar | |
| 1 tsp | plain flour (heaping) | |
| 1 tsp | custard powder (heaping) | |
| Yolk of 1 QL Deli Fresh egg | ||
| 1/2 tsp | vanilla essence | |
| 3 tbsp | canned sweet corn (cream style) | |
Method
- Boil water in a saucepan and melt butter in boiling water. Bring to a fast boil and take off the heat.
- Tip in sifted flour and sugar, return the saucepan to the heat (medium low) and beat rapidly with a wooden spatula/spoon into a paste.
- Turn off heat and let the paste cool for about 3 – 5 minutes in the saucepan. Then beat in the egg a little at a time with the wooden/spoon or a handheld electric mixer (little energy needed compared to beating with your hands!).
- Continue beating in the eggs until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
- Spoon 1 tablespoon of mixture onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper, and bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown and puffed up in a preheated 180C oven.
- Turn off heat and leave the puffs in the oven for 10 minutes to gradually cool down before removing from the oven.
SWEET CORN CUSTARD:
- When the cream puffs are being baked in the oven, make the sweet corn custard. Combine milk and sugar a small saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir the milk mixture constantly for about 5 minutes until sugar dissolves. Remove saucepan from heat.
- Whisk egg yolk, plain flour, custard powder and vanilla essence in a medium heatproof bowl until well combined. To temper the egg yolk, pour hot milk mixture over egg yolk mixture gradually, whisking constantly with a wire hand whisk.
- Pour mixture back into saucepan. Cook on low heat, stirring constantly, for 10 – 15 minutes or until custard thickens (be careful not to boil the custard, as it may curdle or scramble). Add sweet corn and stir for another 2 minutes, remove from heat and leave aside to cool.
TO ASSEMBLE CREAM PUFF:
Cut each cream puff horizontally into two halves. Spoon 1 heaped teaspoon of sweet corn custard into the bottom half and close with the upper half. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 – 3 hours before serving.
QL Kitchen Tips:
- It is extremely important not to open the oven door during baking as the outside air may cause the temperature inside the oven to drop drastically and cause the puffs to deflate.
- You can also use a piping bag to pipe the cream puffs if preferred.
QL Omega & QL Deli Fresh eggs are available at major hypermarkets and supermarkets. For more information on QL eggs, click here.
