Easy peasy... dairy free banana custard

There you have it!

If I say 'au chocolat' does it make it sound a bit.. y'know more sophisticated? 

No? 

Ah well!

We don't normally 'do' dessert, but the Kiddo has been getting ideas - from school. She is now asking what she is going to be having for dessert. 

Agh! 

Casting my mind back to my childhood, tonight I opted for something nice and easy, and hopefully (thanks to the banana) something with a healthy element to it as well.  Kiddo loved it, so much so that she's asked for it tomorrow night too... minus the banana (sigh)!!

Ho hum!!

This dessert is a blast from my childhood. When I was little, Mum was concerned about us getting enough calcium. So much so, that we had custard pretty much every night, in some form or another. She also wanted to get fruit and veg. into us - sound familiar???

Now I'm facing the same kind of thing with my Kiddo, it seems like my Mum was on to something. Banana custard is warm, comforting and so easy to make, you can't go wrong! Although, actually, once I did... but that's because I didn't follow the instructions and added the paste into the saucepan of milk, rather than the other way around. Let's just say the custard proved irretrievable!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp Bird's custard powder

2 tbsp Golden syrup or sugar

1 pint Almond Milk (or whichever other milk you fancy)

2 chopped Bananas 

Grated dairy free dark chocolate (like Kinnerton) or dairy free chocolate drops (like Moofree) to sprinkle

This Kinnerton chocolate is great for cooking!

Method:

1. Basically, you measure 1 pint of milk and pour most, but not quite all of it of it into a no-stick saucepan and heat it. You need it to come to the boil. Keep back about 2 tablespoon's in a glass or ceramic jug.

2. Whilst waiting for the milk to boil, mix 2 tablespoon's of *Bird's custard powder with either 2 tablespoon's of golden syrup or sugar with the milk reserved from the pint. I recommend the syrup, as it makes it really moreish. If you want to use something less refined, try maple syrup, instead.

3. When the milk in the saucepan is nearly at boiling point (wait for little tiny bubbles to form all around the edge of the pan), pour it into the mixture you made in the jug. Stir thoroughly.

4. Pour the complete mixture back into the pan and return the mixture to the boil, stirring slowly, all the time. If you use a more viscous milk, like Koko coconut milk, the custard will thicken more rapidly, than with almond milk. With almond milk, keep the mixture at boiling point and keep stirring until the mixture begins to reduce and thicken, to your required consistency. Bear in mind that the custard will need to cool a bit before being eaten and will thicken as it cools.

5. Pour your custard into dessert bowls. Place about 1/2 of the chopped banana in each dish. Sprinkle grated chocolate or chocolate drops on top.

6. Enjoy!

Serves 4... or 2, if you're feeling hungry! ;)

The custard powder of my childhood!

* Custard is normally made with eggs, but there are no eggs in Bird's custard, unlike the posh custard you get in restaurants, because it was invented by a chap whose wife was allergic to egg.

It is also gluten free and soya free. It can be made nut free too (depending on which milk you use).

Related Posts:

Autumnal Apple Crumble

Barbecued Bananas

Free From Creamy Iced Vanilla Dessert - New at Tesco!!

Huzzah!

A new dairy free ice cream... from Tesco's own Free From label!!

I was alerted to this on Twitter the other day (sorry I can't remember who, if it was you, please let me know)! So, off I went... to hunt some out!!

Details! Details!

It's not exactly a huge tub, there's 500ml in the tub - whereas you get 750ml in a tub of Swedish Glace... I only compare it to Swedish Glace because it's a popular dairy free ice cream, which is pretty good value.

BUT!! Unlike Swedish Glace (which I gather is not only great value, but also a good dupe for vanilla ice cream), not only is it dairy free, and gluten free, it is also SOYA FREE as well!!

AND, like Swedish Glace, it's a great deal cheaper than some of the other dairy and soya free frozen desserts out there - it's only £2.00 a tub!!

Yippee!!

Here it is!

So what's it made with, you might well wonder!?

What's in it??

Ingredients:

Water, Coconut Oil, Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Lupin, Protein Isolate, Maltodextrin, Dextrose, Emulsifier (Mono- and Di- Glycerides of Fatty Acids), Colours (Calcium Carbonate, Beta Carotene), Stabilisers (Locust Bean Meal, Guar Gum), Salt, Flavouring, Vanilla Powder.

Allergens:

Lupin.

May contain nuts.

From looking at the ingredients list, it is obvious that a lot of processed ingredients have gone into this product, however, what concerns me more, is the addition of Lupin. This ingredient has not been used much in the UK, until quite recently, but is an ingredient commonly used in Europe in gluten free products. As it has become more widely used, it has emerged as quite an allergenic substance - which is why it appears in the EU's list of top 14 allergens. So if you are a multiple allergy sufferer, just take care, in case you turn out to be allergic to Lupin too! *

However, on the positive side, this is a Free From product that is egg free too - as a lot of dairy free folks are also unable to have eggs, this is a great move!

BUT what a shame that, as a Free From product, this ice cream could not somehow have been made nut free too - too many Free From products are not, and here's another one that isn't. I really feel for the nut allergic on this one.

I enjoyed my ice cream with fresh strawberries

What's it taste like?

Well, here's  the thing - it's a long time since I've eaten it - but... well... funnily enough... vanilla ice cream!! 

YAY!!

I'm not a fan, I've decided of vanilla ice creams flavoured with fruit juice - they tend to taste too fruity, rather than purely of vanilla, so this was just right for me, personally.

The way I like it - plain and simple!

To be sure that I was testing it right, I tried it alongside some British strawberries (not sugared or flavoured in any way). AND before I even took a single bite of strawberry, I tasted the iced dessert, and yes, I'm sure it tasted just the same as I remember ice cream tasting last time I ate it!! 

Obviously I haven't taste tested Swedish Glace properly (I once took a sneaky lick, which wasn't enough to affect me) so I couldn't properly tell, but I think they taste pretty similar.

Unlike Swedish Glace, this dairy free ice cream doesn't yet have companions with other flavours, but hopefully they will come along pretty soon! 

Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for a dairy and soya free cookie dough ice cream (Hint! Hint!)!!

Related posts:

Other posts about dairy free substitutes can be found by following this link.

* For more information about Lupin Allergy, follow this link.

Dairy Free Gluten Free Soya Free Autumnal Apple Crumble and Custard

With the nights drawing in, and an autumnal nip in the air, thoughts inevitably turn to comfort food! What could be better than a traditional autumnal fruit crumble and yummy custard??

'Baby' finally, I'm delighted to say, has taken to one of my favourite puds - apple crumble!! And I am truly delighted, because for one thing I can get to eat pudding again (it's no fun just making it for yourself) and for another it means I'm getting a little bit more fruit inside her!!

The recipe I use is based on my parents' favourite formula (my Dad is just as likely to make it as my mum), with a slight twist that comes from my sister-in-law!!

I hope you don't feel like I'm teaching you to suck eggs, as it were, but if you are new to going dairy free, you may not yet have contemplated making your old family favourites with your new dairy free substitutes!

This recipe can be shared between three ramekins.


To begin with you need:

2 large Bramley apples

1 dessert apple (Gala or similar)

1 knob of dairy free margarine (Pure, Vitalite or similar)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

3/4 tablespoons water

A couple of handfuls of blackberries could replace one of the Bramley apples for yet another autumnal favourite.

I also like rhubarb and apple crumble, but that is made strictly for me, as 'Baby' doesn't do rhubarb and neither does The Hub!! If I was making rhubarb crumble, I would replace the Bramley apples with two large stalks of rhubarb and would cut them into large chunks.

Method:

1. First you peel, core and cut the apple into small chunks.

Make sure your chunks of apple are a reasonable size, if you don't want a complete mush!

2. Add all the ingredients to a pan and simmer gently for about 15/20 mins with the odd stir to soften. 

3. Spoon between three ramekins and set aside.

Fill the ramekins about two thirds full, with your fruit mixture.

Next you need:

4 oz     plain flour (I use Doves Farm gluten free)

2.5 oz  dairy free margarine (Pure, Vitalite or similar)

2 oz     sugar

Crumble Method:

1. First turn on your oven and set the temperature to 180 degrees C.

2. Rub the fat into the flour, using the tips of your fingers, to make crumbs. I tend to make these quite rough crumbs, as you really need to work quite fast with dairy free margarine - it becomes quite soft very quickly. It helps if your hands are cool and it's not too hot in your kitchen!

3. Stir in the sugar,using a metal spoon. You can at this stage also add some oats or crushed nuts. I personally love the rustic look, but my little one likes her crumble texture free!

4. Spread over a grease proof paper covered tray and place in the oven for about 5-10 minutes - just to toast slightly (this is the tip from my sister-in-law, who likes her crumble crispy and not soggy!).

Spread it out quite thinly, so that your crumble topping can toast

5. Spoon over the apple in the ramekins.

Now, at this point, I usually place one ramekin in the oven to cook, to eat that day; another ramekin is covered with cling wrap and placed in the fridge, whilst the final one is wrapped and placed in the freezer.

6. The crumble is cooked in the oven at 180 degrees C for about 20 mins, until the top is golden brown. When cooking the crumble from the fridge, it's wise to place the ramekin in the oven before you turn it on - to allow the dish to warm up with the oven - otherwise the dish may crack. 

7. Whilst the crumble is cooking, make the custard!

Good to go!

For the custard, you will need:

2 tbsp. instant custard powder

1 pint of dairy free milk (I use Koko or almond milk - almond milk makes a thinner custard)

2 tbsp golden syrup

Custard Method:

1. Heat your dairy free milk, over a medium heat in a non-stick pan.

2. Mix the custard powder and a couple of tablespoons of dairy free milk, in a heat proof jug (Pyrex or similar).

3. As the bubbles begin to form around the edge of the milk in the pan, remove the pan from the heat and pour the heated milk onto the custard mix. Note: don't try to add the mix to the milk - you will have a disastrous mess on your hands! I know because I've done it - just the once, because once is enough!

4. Mix well, with a metal spoon, and return to the pan. 

5. Continue to heat on a medium heat. Keep stirring with a wooden or silicone spatula or spoon, as the custard begins to thicken, but please note, almond milk will not thicken as much as Koko coconut milk. To counter this, you can use more custard powder at the custard powder stage, but your custard will taste more powdery, as a result! Almond milk may also make your custard have a slightly grey tinge to it, but it still tastes really good!

6. Once the custard has thickened to your liking, pour it into a heat proof serving jug. Please note: the custard may thicken slightly, as it cools.

7. Serve and enjoy! Any left over custard can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days and reheated in your microwave.

Alternative serving tip:

If you can't be faffed to make custard, Alpro custard made with soya is available in cartons in the free from section of most supermarkets. You can now also buy Oatly, oat-based custard in the free from fridge section at larger branches of Tesco.

Much as I love apple crumble with custard, if I can't be faffed to make my custard (I can't tolerate soya and Oatly isn't gluten free), I love mine with a good dollop of Co-yo yoghurt - it's thick and creamy and goes well with a slightly tart fruit dessert. 

'Baby'? well if there's no custard to hand, she prefers hers with a dairy free vanilla ice cream!

Related Post:

Heaven in a mouthful - Co-yo dairy free, soya free yoghurt

For more Dessert ideas, see this page:

Just Desserts

Barbecued Bananas

You can tell it's Bank Holiday - The Hub has been car shopping, mowed the lawn and lit the Barbie. Not the plastic doll, you understand, but the outside thing, that you use for cooking a meal on. Well... I say 'barbie'... actually it's a disposable one - because five years into marriage, The Hub's man barbie is still in his Mum's back garden!! 

No matter, between the oven and the disposable barbecue, the job was done and everything was properly cooked. However, being a man, there was just one thing The Hub forgot - to buy anything of vegetable matter to balance out the protein and the carbs. 

'What shall we do for veg?' he asked, once everything was nearly ready. Oops!

Fortunately, I had bought some bananas today. It was at this point that I remembered being at a barbecue, some years ago, when baked bananas were the dessert. 

'Okay,' I thought, 'I'm sure we could give it a go.'

I also remembered trying this once before, without much success. However, I decided NOT to let that hold me back, and started googling recipes.

The most common recipe seemed to involve lemon, brown sugar and butter.  Brown sugar we did have, lemon we didn't have,, butter... we can't have. Although our dairy free marg. has been great for a number of things, I just knew it was not going to be fit for the purpose of this job. No, there had to be another way. 

When I spotted a recipe that used chocolate, I knew that I'd found The One!! Fortunately, along with the bananas today I'd also bought some dairy free chocolate 'coins' from Sainsbury's.

So, having grabbed some foil, slit my bananas down the side, and filled the slits with choccy buttons, I crimped the foil together and threw (well not literally, you understand) the bananas on the barbie. 

Before long they were sizzling away. I was quite surprised that the barbie seemed to have sufficient energy to do the job and was half expecting to have to chuck them in the oven, to really finish them off. 

Having given them 20 minutes or so, I retrieved them from the barbie with tongs and unwrapped them to cool down a bit. Once they'd cooled down sufficiently, I proffered one to Baby. Well, she scooped out the chocolate alright, but didn't much go for the banana. 

*sighs and rolls eyes*

It may look a bit black and horrible, but appearances can be deceptive!

Twenty minutes cooking time, although most recipes say fifteen, seemed about right to me, but maybe that's because our barbie was a little disposable one. The banana was nicely cooked and the chocolate sensationally gooey. We could have added marshmallows and ice cream but I left those out on this occasion.

It may not have been quite ripe, but it still went down okay!

Regarding the bananas, I had only had one that was properly ripe and so opted to use a nearly ripe one as well and hoped it would soften up. It did to some extent, but to anyone who hasn't tried this before, I'd suggest using bananas that are only just ripe. I think that overripe bananas would be too soggy and taste not very nice at all!

The next time I try this, I think I would try being all prepared in advance. I quite fancy the idea of dairy free caramel sauce and pecans being added on the top of my chocolatey banana - quite possibly using this recipe, which I've been meaning to try for some time. Now that really would be nice! Maybe, if the weather's nice, I might even try doing that tomorrow. Thing is, being Britain and  Whitsun Bank Holiday, what are the chances of that??