Simple tarts filled with fresh fruit and creamy Honey Vanilla Custard have always been my very favorite dessert.
Typically, these custards use dairy and white sugar, which I know a lot of people avoid. But this Honey Vanilla Custard is sweetened with honey and uses coconut milk instead of dairy.
A trip to the farmers market on Sunday was all the convincing I needed; it was time to create a paleo version! Stone fruit and berry season is in full force here in the Bay Area, and I couldn’t be happier about it.
Disclaimer: The crust recipe I used and that is pictured in this post is not yet available, as it’s the ah-mazing lard crust from Beyond Bacon by Stacy Toth and Matthew McCarry of Paleo Parents fame.
The lard crust is so far the only recipe I’ve tried from their latest masterpiece (seriously, go pre-order it right now), but that was only after several inner battles that went something like: “Oooooh THIS one!” <turns page> “No, THIS one!” <turns page> “ARGH!” You get the idea… Full review coming soon!
If you can’t wait until July 2nd, when Beyond Bacon is released, to make this custard fruit tart, try it simply layered with fresh fruit as a parfait. It’s perfect for brunch or a light summer dessert.
Honey Vanilla Custard
makes about 2 cups of custard; enough for one 9 inch tart or 4 parfaits.1 tablespoon gelatin
3 tablespoons cold water
1 can full fat coconut milk
2 egg yolks
pinch of salt
1/4 cup raw honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a medium mixing bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water. Set aside.
- In a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat, add the coconut milk, egg yolks, and a pinch of salt. Whisk to combine. Continue whisking constantly until the milk mixture starts to thicken and steam. You don’t want it to boil. Once it steams, whisk for another minute or two.
- Place a fine mesh sieve over the bowl with the gelatin in it and pour the milk mixture through it.
- Add the honey and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
- Place the bowl of custard inside a larger bowl of ice water. Whisk until the custard is cool and thickened.
If filling a pie crust, pour the custard into the cooled crust and layer with fruit. For the tart pictured, I used about 3 small peaches, a handful of strawberries, and a handful of blueberries. You can use any fruit you’d like.
If making parfaits, layer the custard and desired fruit into tall narrow glasses. Stemless champagne glasses are perfect.
All of the links on zenbelly.com are for information purposes, however some are affiliate links to books, products or services. Any sponsored posts are clearly labelled as being sponsored content. Some ads on this site are served by ad networks and the advertised products are not necessarily recommended by Zenbelly.
ariyele ressler says
hi simone! i’ve been making a custard for a few months now, refining and tweaking it. mine uses vanilla bean pod for the milk and is SO yummy. looking forward to this crust! gotta get beyond bacon. you’re the tenth blogger i follow who recommended this book!
zenbellyblog says
vanilla beans are definitely the classy way to go… I’m all out! I should add the bean as an option, but wanted to offer a recipe for those who don’t have vanilla beans too. Good call!
charissa (zest bakery) says
Looks ah-mazing! want it in my belly.
zenbellyblog says
I want it in a donut 😉
Elizabeth says
^^^Wow. YES! Best idea ever.
Erin Walker says
Your pictures are beautiful!! So excited for Beyond Bacon to be released! I can’t wait to try the custard!!
-Erin
Perry Janssen says
custard turned out like water. not thick at all.
zenbellyblog says
Sorry it didn’t work out for you, but something must have gone wrong… I’ve made this multiple times, and if anything, it’s on the thick / solid side.
Alicia Ali says
Just saw this post can I am going to a picnic so the tart might be sitting in warm weather for a couple of hours. Will it still be stable and not a liquid pile of goop after a coupe of hours?
zenbellyblog says
I think the gelatin will keep it stable, it shouldn’t melt. The fruit might get a little wilty, so I’d keep it in the coolest place you can find…
marilee says
Love love love the mini glasses you served the parfait in. Where did you find them?
zenbellyblog says
Thanks! They’re actually just stemless champagne flutes! I think I found these at Goodwill, believe it or not, but I’m sure you could find them at any store with a good wine glass selection. And of course Amazon if all else fails 🙂
Ana luna says
Thanks for the recipe we tried it and it was very tasty except for the small gelatin balls that were imbedded in every bite. When did tht happen and is there a way for me to prevent that from happening?
zenbellyblog says
Sounds like the gelatin didn’t fully dissolve. Running it through a fine mesh sieve should prevent any solid pieces from getting into the finished product. Hope that helps!
Amy says
I replaced the coconut milk with goat milk and it was pure jello after 2 hours in the fridge. It was not like the firm pudding you expect in a tart, but rather like jello.
zenbellyblog says
Welp, I guess it doesn’t work with goat milk, then. I’m not sure how high fat the milk was that you used, but I’m guessing it’s a lot thinner than heavy cream or coconut milk.
Abbie H says
Mine never set up either. Added 2 more yolks and reheated, added another tbls of gelatin and still like soup.
Abbie H says
I was way too hasty in adding the extra egg and gelatin, it is like jello now LOL …live and learn 😀
zenbellyblog says
did you chill it before calling it? It doesn’t set up until it’s chilled, and is actually on the firm side when I’ve made it…
Abbie says
Yeah, I probably did not chill it enough. It was still tasty and a friend of mine liked the texture of them set like that so it all worked out. I will definitely make them again 🙂