Baked Holiday Custard

Okay, I promise you this will be the last mincemeat post I'll do the whole rest of the holidays. I know you are probably getting tired of them, but . . . I do love mincemeat . . . and this is the season of mincemeat afterall . . .



I got to thinking the other day about different ways that I could use up some of those bazillion jars of the stuff that I created, and this idea just popped into my mind.



Imagine a silky vanilla flavoured and slightly spiced custard, floating atop a spicy sweet compote of mincemeat. Ohhhh . . . such beautiful textures and flavours. Each mouthful gives you that wonderfully rich custard flavour and then that lovely spiced fruity mincemeat flavour . . . it goes without saying that you need to use mincemeat that it wholly made with fruit . . . the other kind just doesn't bear thinking about!



This is sooo good. I'm glad I thunk it up . . . and if I didn't, please don't tell me and burst my bubble. I like thinking I invented something, I truly do . . .

Todd ate three of them all by himself . . .



and as for the other three???

I ain't saying . . .



*Baked Holiday Custard*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Imagine silky vanilla flavoured custard atop a spicy sweet compote. That's baked vanilla and mincemeat custard. This is fabulous, truly fabulous.

100g golden caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
pinch salt
4 large eggs
18 ounces whole cream milk
411g jar of mincemeat
Icing sugar to dust

Preheat the oven to 160*c/325*F. Place 6 large custard cups (6 ounce size) into a large shallow roasting pan. Set aside.

Place the milk along with the vanilla paste, nutmeg and cinnamon into a saucepan and heat just until bubbles appear around the edges. Remove from the heat and let sit for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, whisk the eggs together with the sugar. Whisk a little bit of the heated milk into the egg mixture to temper it, and then whisk the egg mixture into the milk, whisking it all together completely.

Divide the mincemeat evenly between the six custard cups. Pour the liquid mixture over top without disturbing the mincemeat, dividing it equally amongst them. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan to come up about half way up the sides of the custard cups. Place in the heated oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the custard jiggles only in the centre when you tap the cup lightly. Remove from the oven and from the roasting pan to a wire rack to cool before eating. Dust with icing sugar and eat at room temperature. Delicious!

Note - I am thinking this would work with all kinds of compotes on the bottom. Next time I think I'll try cherry or rhubarb, or even apple! My tastebuds are tingling just thinking about it!!!