Baked Mango-Orange Custard

I have been skipping The Food Matters Project for a few weeks now due to some life circumstances. But now that things are winding down, I am back into this! My Food Matters Project friends, I missed you all and am looking forward to the weekly FMP post check-ins with each other.   

It is just perfect that this week’s recipe, Baked Pumpkin-Orange Custard, chosen by Sandra of Meadows Knits, is so fast and easy to make. I love how this recipe is so in season and festive too! Check out her post for the original Mark Bittman recipe.  

As much as I loved the idea of a pumpkin-orange custard, I wanted to take a break from my squash obsession these days. There’s the Butternut Squash Tikka Masala and the Kabocha, Pear, Fontina Sandwich, and a Kabocha Soup recipe coming up this week. For the rest of fall and all throughout winter, squash will be hanging out in my kitchen. So, I decided to go for some exotic and tropical custard. Something that reminds me of home, especially during these cold, dreary days… Baked Mango-Orange Custard.

 

The traditional custard base is usually a mixture of milk or cream and egg yolks and is cooked in a double boiler. However, this particular recipe veers from that and uses silken tofu instead of milk or cream and includes the egg yolks. Since I used more tofu than Mr. Bittman requires and also substituted mangoes for the pumpkin (which is not as creamy when pureed), the result is not the expected melt in your mouth smoothness that traditional custard lends. My custard is a little on the watery side and slightly lumpy.

In spite of the lack of silkiness that I love in traditional custards, this one is a wonderful low-fat and low sugar alternative. A trade-off that I am willing to take because of my dessert addiction. This delightful custard reminds me of a zesty flan. The orange flavor really stands out and the mangoes give it a lovely, sweet and tangy taste.    

 

Baked Mango-Orange Custard

Adapted from Mark Bittman’s Baked Pumpkin-Orange Custard from The Food Matters Cookbook

a tad of butter to grease the baking dish

1 lb silken tofu, drained of extra liquid
1/3 cup brown sugar (the original recipe required ¾ cup)
zest and juice of 1 orange
2 ripe mangoes, seed and skin removed
¼ tsp ginger powder
¼ tsp ground allspice
a pinch of salt
2 large eggs
 
Place a rack in the middle slot and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a glass baking dish with butter. (Note: If you are not using a glass baking dish, reduce the heat to 350 degrees F.)  

Put the silken tofu, brown sugar, orange zest, and orange juice in a blender. Cover and blend on low for about 30 seconds until smooth. Add the mango pulp into the blender, cover and blend on low for about a minute, until the mango is pureed. Make sure the blender is OFF when you stir in the ginger, allspice, and salt. You will want to use a plastic spatula to stir these in initially, otherwise the powders will just sit on top. Remove the spatula, cover, and blend for about 20-30 seconds. Add the eggs and blend on low for about 45 seconds until everything is well mixed.

Bake for an hour. The top should turn a light, golden brown and appear to look set, but still jiggly in the middle. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack. Let the custard cool completely or refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.         

Enjoy a guilt-free treat!

P.S. Head on over to The Food Matters Project website and check out the creations that the rest of the FMP members came up with!

P.P.S To all friends in the East Coast, stay safe and take care… you are in my thoughts!