Chai Spiced Rooibos Custard

Sunday, September 25, 2011

I don't know about you, but I love a hot breakfast! What's more, I love unique hot breakfasts. Now most people wouldn't think of baked custard as breakfast, but with it being loaded with protein and deliciousness, I think it's a viable option. My grandmother (God rest her soul til I get up there!) made awesome custard. Her parents immigrated from England, so I'm sure her recipe was the real deal. It kills me that I do not have her personal recipe (talk about tradition lost on the new generation, blah. *Kicks self*). I've tried a number of recipes online, but I can never get it just like my grandmother's. Sweet, baked custard is one of my favorite smells (and I loved the way my daughter's breath smelled of custard after a feeding when she was an infant <3), and surely a great way to start your fall morning... but I digress. I wanted to share my love of custard with you, but I also wanted to put a PJF twist on it.
I've recently taken up drinking herbal tea again, what with the mornings getting cold and all, and I'm a sucker for anything chocolate (and any girl that isn't should really get her head checked!). So you can imagine my delight when I came across Zhena's Gypsy Tea Chocolate Chai, a rooibos based tea (an herbal, red tea that makes me think of kangaroos b/c of its name).
When you open the tin you are hit with a beautiful set of floral aromatics, and the taste is excellent when steeped a good long time. Furthermore, rooibos is rich with antioxidants! This inspired me. What better than to mix baked custard (extremely nourishing soul food) with the physically nourishing qualities of rooibos. So here's what we're gonna do:

you will need...



2c heavy cream
4 Zhena Gypsy Tea Chocolate Chai Sachets
1/2T ground cardamom
6 eggs
nutmeg
allspice
stevia to taste
Custard dishes
9 x 13 glass baking dish
2 Pots
Utensils

Preheat oven to 350F. Fill 1 pot with water and set it to boil.

In separate pot, pour your cream and warm slowly. While it's warming, add your tea sachets and cardamom.

When it begins to bubble (just before boiling point), remove from heat. It should be slightly tinted from the chai.
Whisk egg yolks with 1/4c powdered stevia (or 6-8 drops liquid stevia, liquid vanilla stevia is also acceptable), until light and creamy.


Remove tea sachets from cream, and slowly drizzle part of the cream into egg mixture, stirring constantly.

Pour back into pot and place on burner over low heat, stirring often, until mixture becomes thick. Place your custard cups into 9x13 glass dish, and pour your custard into the cups.

Sprinkle nutmeg and allspice over custard mixes. Take your pot of boiling water and fill the 9x13 glass dish until water covers 1/2 way up the custard cups.

 Place in oven & bake 30 mins. Check it by inserting knife. If it comes out clean, it's done. If it doesn't, bake another 10-15 mins. Keep checking. It shouldn't take longer than an hour.

Allow to cool in bain marie (the water in the 9x13 glass dish) until the water becomes cool to the touch. This will help prevent cracking, but by all means enjoy while still warm!

2 comments:

Sarah M said...

I'm loving your blog so far.
What do you do with the leftover whites?

P Gersch said...

meringue & crepes. Check out "Recipes For Disaster" to see my protein crepe recipe :)

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