So to finish off this month of making spooky recipes, I thought that a sweet dessert would be a perfect dish to end on. There were a lot of options to pick from in the Necronomnomnom, but this one seemed like the simplest one to do.
Specifically in terms of the dish’s origins, the monster that it’s name and appearance are inspired by is called the color out of space, an extraterrestrial force or entity that arrived on Earth via a meteorite, which “poisoned the soil around where it had landed” and apparently “infected the local plant life which resulted in great discolorations in the flowers, grass, and trees”.
Thankfully, this custard won’t do anything like that and will only poison you if you’re lactose intolerant.
Ingredients:
- 2 Cups of Milk
- 1/3 cup of sugar
- 2 teaspoons of cornstarch
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 banana
- 4 teaspoons of maple syrup
- Red and Blue Food Coloring [Substitute: Mixed Berry Medley]
- Silver Sixlet Chocolate Candy (Optional)
Special Equipment:
- Some container to store custard in (Mason Jar, Ramekin, etc.)
Step 1: Whisk Together Milk, Sugar, & Cornstarch Over Medium Heat
To start, whisk together the milk, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan over medium heat. While this is happening, make sure that you try to whisk out the clumps to keep your custard as smooth as possible. Then when it starts to bubble at the edges of the mixture, remove it from the heat.
Step 2: Temper Eggs & Then Mix into Milk Mixture
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs together and then temper them by pouring and mixing a bit of the milk mixture into the eggs slowly. This will help keep the eggs from scrambling by slowly increasing the heat. Then, when that’s ready, reintroduce the egg and milk mixture back into the pot.
Step 3: Keep Whisking Until Mixture Thickens & Add Vanilla Extract
Keep whisking at medium to low heat, increasing the heat slowly while the mixture thickens.
When it gets to about medium thickness, add the vanilla extract and continue to stir it. Don’t let it boil!
If this happens, don’t worry, just take it off the heat and keep stirring to distribute the heat to avoid the custard from lumping too much. You could also strain it through a sieve to make it really smooth.
Step 4: Layer Custard w/ Custard, Banana, Syrup, and Berries; Garnish w/ Sugar & Silver Candies on Top & Enjoy!
When your custard is ready, grab your serving bowls, or mason jars in my case, and pour about 1/4 cup of the mixture into each of the containers. Then, add three to four banana slices, a 1/2 teaspoon of maple syrup, and your food coloring or red and blue fruit substitute.
Repeat this step again by adding another layer of custard, banana, syrup, and berries and then top this off with the remaining custard.
Sprinkle some sugar on top along with some berries for garnish and if you have them, add the silver candies on top before serving.
And with that, your Custard Out of Space is ready to send your taste buds out of this world.