BM# 72: Week 3/ Day 3
Theme: Milk based Sweets
Dish: Custard with Gulab Jamun and Praline topping
After posting rawa payasam and Syrian rice pudding for the first two days of this week's marathon, I was wondering what to make for the third day. Then I saw this recipe on Vaishali's blog and I knew I had to make it right away.
Custard is probably one of the first dish that comes to mind when thinking of milka based desserts. I usually top it with fruit and may be nuts and call it a day, but this recipe with gulab jamuns is just genius. So instead of dunking the jamuns in sugar syrup, they are dropped into creamy custard base.
I was planning on making the jamuns too but my sister found some good quality canned mini jamuns in Indian grocery and they worked perfectly in this recipe. So if you have time, go ahead and make the jamuns at home otherwise take the shortcut and buy them.
The dessert is topped with some kind of a brittle and since I didn't have any at home, I made it myself. I found the recipe for a quick nut topping on Eatingwell site. It takes just a few minutes to make this praline and it is great to sprinkle on this custard or ice cream for crunch and deliciousness.
Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 72.
Custard with Gulab Jamun and Praline topping
Ingredients
For the Custard:
- 2 cups milk
- 3 tbsp Custard powder (I use Brown & Polson brand)
- 2~3 tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp Ground Cardamom
For the Praline Topping:
- ½ cup Pecans, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup Walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 2 tbsp Light Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Honey or Light Corn Syrup
Other Ingredients:
- 8~12 Gulab Jamun
Instructions
Make the Custard:
- In a small bowl, whisk together custard powder and ¼cup of milk.
- In a medium heavy bottom pan, combine the remaining milk and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat and stir in the custard powder mixture. Stir continuously and cook on low flame until the mixture starts to thicken, about 2~3 minutes.
- Let he mixture cool completely. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.
Make the Praline:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- Combine nuts, brown sugar and honey in a small bowl. Mix well to make sure that the nuts are evenly coated.
- Place the nut mixture on the baking sheet. Bake for 7~10 minutes or until the sugar is caramelized and the nuts are toasted. Stir them once in the middle. Remove from the oven onto a wire rack and let cool completely.
- Once cooled, break the praline into small pieces.
To Assemble the dessert:
- Divide the custard between serving bowls. Add warm jamuns in each bowl and top with the chopped praline. Serve immediately!!
Vaishali Sabnani
Oh wow...thank you for trying it, this recipe is a instant hit and so quick too. I am eyeing that walnut brittle, walnuts happen to be my favorite dry fruit.
Priya Suresh
Now u are tempting me again with this irresistible dessert, absolutely irresistible.
sapna
Omg drooling over the pics. This is a stunning looking dessert.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
I am definitely going to try this soon. The addition of Praline makes it even more exciting. Love the crunch this would add to the dessert.
srividhya
This is very interesting. Love these combinations. As vaishali said, its irresistable.
Srivalli
The whole setup looks so classic and sinful Pavani..so fantastic!..I love this idea and Praline Topping is my favorite too..
Sandhiya
Such a wonderful idea .would love to grab one of those now. Looks so delicious.
Sowmya
Do I need to even say this is awesome. Jamuns and Praline... What a killer combo Pavani.
Sharmila - The Happie Friends potpourri Corner
What an awesome dessert!! This is so so tempting!! I am trying this soon!!
Harini
This has become a rage 🙂 And no surprise there 🙂 Beautiful looking dessert! Sinful too.
Lathiya
This looks great.. Interesting recipe.. Anything with gulab jamun should be a bit.😊
sushma
Wow such a rich and delicious dish. Must have tasted great. Will try soon.
Holly
Pavani, the dessert looks wonderful but what strikes me even more than the recipe is the beauty of your photos! I read on your site that you use an entry level Nikon. Is that what you still use? Do you shoot in natural light or do you have artificial lights too? I am always trying to improve my photos and would love to hear more about your process.
cookshideout
Thank you so much Holly. I still use the same entry level Nikon with a prime lens. All my photos are taken in natural light 🙂