Coconut Custard
This traditional Parsi-style custard is a delicate, creamy dessert made from the rich, thick milk of a fresh coconut and sweetened with sugar. The natural richness of the coconut milk eliminates the need for dairy, creating a silky, smooth texture that is baked until golden and set. Simple yet elegant, this gluten-free and dairy-free dessert highlights the pure, tropical flavor of fresh coconut in a comforting, pudding-like form.
Ingredients
- 1 whole Fresh coconut (ripe) (Used to extract thick coconut milk. Alternatively, use 1 to 1.5 cups of canned thick coconut cream.)
- 3 whole Eggs (Fresh)
- 3 heaping teaspoons Sugar (Original specifies 'heaping small spoons'. Adjust to taste if a sweeter custard is desired.)
Instructions
- 1Grate the white flesh of the coconut. Grind the grated coconut on a clean stone (or in a food processor) until very fine. Do not add any water. Squeeze the ground coconut thoroughly through a clean cloth to extract all the thick milk.
- 2Break the eggs into a bowl and beat them vigorously with a fork until well blended. Add the sugar and the extracted coconut milk to the beaten eggs. Mix everything together thoroughly until the sugar is dissolved.
- 3Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Pour the mixture into a baking dish (originally a tinned bronze vessel). Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the custard is set and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (The original method used embers below and above the pot, similar to a Dutch oven technique).