Coconut Custard

Ingredients:

Milk - 3 cups

Custard Pwd. (Strawberry flavor) - 3 tbsp heaped

Sugar- 3-4 tbsp (or to taste)

Coconut - 1 cup grated (do not pack into cup)

Cashewnuts - 1/2 cup

Raisins - 1/2 cup

Ghee or butter - 2 tbsp

Method of Preparation:

1. Take 3 tbsp out of the 3 cups of  milk and mix it with the custard powder to get a smooth paste.

2. Boil the rest of the milk with sugar. After one boil put off heat.

3. Stirring continuously, add the custard paste into the milk. Put on heat again and keep stirring to avoid lumps. Stir till you see bubbles spurting out(boiling) and the whole mixture has become thick.(about 5 mins.)

Put off heat and continue to stir for about a minute.

4. Heat a kadai and add 1/2 tbsp ghee. Keep on low heat. Add the cashewnuts and fry untill golden. Drain with a slotted spoon. Next add raisins and fry for a few seconds. Remove from heat immediately.

5. Add the rest of the ghee and keep on medium heat. Put in the grated coconut and fry untill the coconut turns golden brown. Keep aside to cool.

6. Add the fried cashewnuts and raisins (reserving a few for garnishing) to the warm custard and mix well. Add half of the coconut and mix well.

7. Pour the custard into your serving bowl. Cover with the rest of the grated coconut, nuts and raisins. Serve chilled.

                                                                                                                

Bread Pudding

The easiest of all Puddings. A great for beginer's. Enjoy!

Serves 8

Ingredients:
Milk - 2 cups
Eggs- 2
Sugar - 8 - 10 tbsp
Bread - 6 slices or more
Butter - 2 tbsp
Cinnamom- (grated) a pinch
Nutmeg- (grated) a pinch
Nuts and Raisins of your choice- about 1/4 cup each
Vanilla essence(optional) - 1/2 tsp

Method of Preparation:
1. In a large bowl, break the eggs and lightly beat them.
2.Add warm milk and stir well untill well blended.
3.Add butter and sugar and stir to dissolve.
4. Break bread slices into the milk. Stir well. Add more broken bread if desired. The whole mixture should look like a watery batter.
5. Add spices and nuts and raisins. If you are too lazy to grate the spices and opt out of it then the vanilla essence is a must.
6. Pour into a bake proof dish.
7. Place the dish in a shallow pan half filled with water and bake at 150 degC. for about 1 1/2 hour or untill a knife pierced into it comes out clean.
8. Serve cold.

Tips: Your bread pudding will turn out best if you use soft, fluffy and porous bread. Thats what gives air in your pudding and makes it light. The more dense your bread , the more dense your pudding will be. So try to avoid dense bread.