Jelly and custard are the ultimate Mzansi duo – our very own Tom and Jerry, much like fish and chips. This classic pairing works wonders on so many occasions and is especially popular during summer. However, the store-bought custard isn’t always the best or healthiest choice.
With more people leaning towards healthier lifestyles and cutting back on sugar, making your own gives you full control – no preservatives, natural sweeteners, and all the flavour.
Chef Sisanda Pukuza, working with the Road Lodge in Century City, Cape Town, suggests that to eliminate sugar in homemade custard, you can use alternatives such as honey, stevia, or xylitol.
For added flavour, she recommends incorporating cinnamon, cardamom, or nutmeg into the custard.
“You can pair your custard with berries, apple crumble, yoghurt parfait, or even a strawberry sauce.”
Pukuza notes that it’s important to cool the custard completely after cooking, as this prevents bacteria growth that could spoil the custard.
“If stored while still hot, the custard could become too runny or separate in texture as it cools down,” she explains.
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Custard with a healthier twist
A registered dietitian and spokesperson for The Association for Dietetics in South Africa (ADSA), Kelly Scholtz, says the first step would be simply to reduce the amount of added sugar the recipe suggests.
She recommends that custard can be made successfully with ⅓ to ½ of the suggested sugar. Alternative sweeteners like xylitol or stevia may also be used – alone or combined with a reduced amount of sugar in the recipe.
“Another easy way to reduce the saturated fat and calories in custard would be to use fat-free or low-fat milk instead of full cream milk and cream.”
Dietitian Kelly Scholtz
She notes that milk and eggs are both very nutritious foods, which are often not added in the same quantities to store-bought versions because they are relatively expensive compared with other thickeners.
“Making custard at home also enables you to control the amount of sugar and the type of milk used, which may support you in making healthier choices.”
Tips for serving and storing
Scholtz says cold custard is delicious with fresh summer fruit, like berries, peaches, and mango.
She adds that warm custard also pairs perfectly with cooked fruit, such as apples and pears poached with cinnamon, or even with a fruit crumble where you replace the refined flour in the crumble recipe with a mixture of brown bread flour and oats.
“As soon as you have made the custard, pour it into a container with a lid so that it doesn’t form a skin, and then chill in the fridge.”
It can then be eaten cold for up to four days, or you can reheat it over a low heat, she says.
“You may need to whisk it when you reheat it, and worst-case you may have to pass it through a sieve to remove any lumps,” she says, “but custard is usually quite forgiving and easy to manage.”
You can also freeze custard and then defrost it before reheating, adds Scholtz.
The Food Witch’s homemade custard recipe
Shihaam Domingo, the founder of The Domingo Effect Roots and known as the “Food Witch” from Retreat, Cape Town, shares her take on custard, a seasonal dessert that can also double as a base or accompaniment for other sweet treats.
She explains that custard pairs beautifully with ice cream, apple pie, pastry puffs, or berry compote.
RECIPE:
Ingredients:
- 2 egg yolks (preferably large and free-range)
- Honey to taste
- Vanilla pod or paste
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 100 ml milk or cream
Method:
- Mix the ingredients until smooth and runny.
- While heating 400ml of milk or cream, whisk the mixture on low heat until you reach your desired consistency.
- Enjoy! For a comforting touch on cold days, serve it chilled.
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