Biscuit Custard Pudding
A luxurious Parsi-style dessert that transforms crisp almond biscuits into a rich, creamy pudding. Crushed ratafia cakes and almond macaroons are soaked in a thick, sweet egg custard until they meld into a decadent, cake-like consistency. The dish is crowned with a unique, airy topping of whipped egg whites and red currant jelly, finished with a dusting of aromatic nutmeg.
Ingredients
- 3 cups Whole milk (Originally '1.25 seer'. Converted to approx 3 cups.)
- 8 ounces Ratafia cakes (or Amaretti cookies) (Originally '0.5 lb'. Ratafia cakes are small almond-flavored biscuits.)
- 8 ounces Almond macaroons (Originally '0.5 lb'. Use crisp almond macaroons, not coconut.)
- 4 ounces Red currant jelly (Originally '0.25 lb'.)
- 1/3 cup Sugar (Originally '5 tolas' (approx 60g).)
- 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg (Originally '0.25 tola'. Freshly grated preferred.)
- 3 whole Eggs (Fresh whole eggs.)
- 2 whole Egg whites (Use pasteurized egg whites as they will not be fully cooked in the topping.)
Instructions
- 1Crush the ratafia cakes and almond macaroons into fine crumbs.
- 2In a bowl, beat the 3 whole eggs thoroughly with a fork. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan (originally tin-lined), combine the milk, beaten eggs, and sugar.
- 3Place the saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of a thick custard (dudhpak). Remove from heat immediately once thickened; do not let it boil.
- 4Place the crushed biscuit crumbs in a large bowl. Pour the hot custard over the crumbs and mix well until the mixture is uniform and the crumbs have absorbed the liquid. Transfer the mixture into a large pudding dish.
- 5In a clean bowl, combine the 2 egg whites and the red currant jelly. Beat vigorously until the two are thoroughly combined into a uniform, frothy mixture.
- 6Pour the jelly mixture over the pudding in the dish. Grate fresh nutmeg over the top as a garnish. Serve at room temperature or chilled.