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Honey Vanilla Custard (for fruit tarts or parfaits)

June 17, 2013 by zenbelly 26 Comments

Simple tarts filled with fresh fruit and creamy Honey Vanilla Custard have always been my very favorite dessert.

berries

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.

honey vanilla custard parfaits

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.

fruit custard tart

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 parfaits

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. 

fruit custard tart


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Filed Under: Dessert, Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Vegetarian Tagged With: dairyfree custard, gelatin custard, glutenfree fruit tart, paleo brunch, paleo custard, paleo dessert, paleo fruit tart, primal custard, vanilla custard

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Comments

  1. ariyele ressler says

    June 17, 2013 at 5:34 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • zenbellyblog says

      June 17, 2013 at 7:45 pm

      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!

      Reply
  2. charissa (zest bakery) says

    June 17, 2013 at 5:34 pm

    Looks ah-mazing! want it in my belly.

    Reply
    • zenbellyblog says

      June 18, 2013 at 11:32 pm

      I want it in a donut 😉

      Reply
      • Elizabeth says

        June 25, 2013 at 4:57 pm

        ^^^Wow. YES! Best idea ever.

  3. Erin Walker says

    June 17, 2013 at 7:32 pm

    Your pictures are beautiful!! So excited for Beyond Bacon to be released! I can’t wait to try the custard!!
    -Erin

    Reply
  4. Perry Janssen says

    August 16, 2013 at 2:17 pm

    custard turned out like water. not thick at all.

    Reply
    • zenbellyblog says

      August 16, 2013 at 6:33 pm

      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.

      Reply
  5. Alicia Ali says

    September 26, 2013 at 6:47 am

    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?

    Reply
    • zenbellyblog says

      September 26, 2013 at 9:25 am

      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…

      Reply
  6. marilee says

    April 22, 2014 at 8:40 am

    Love love love the mini glasses you served the parfait in. Where did you find them?

    Reply
    • zenbellyblog says

      April 22, 2014 at 9:07 am

      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 🙂

      Reply
  7. Ana luna says

    October 13, 2014 at 7:36 am

    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?

    Reply
    • zenbellyblog says

      October 16, 2014 at 10:14 am

      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!

      Reply
  8. Amy says

    November 18, 2014 at 9:11 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • zenbellyblog says

      November 19, 2014 at 8:52 am

      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.

      Reply
  9. Abbie H says

    January 15, 2016 at 5:17 pm

    Mine never set up either. Added 2 more yolks and reheated, added another tbls of gelatin and still like soup.

    Reply
    • Abbie H says

      January 15, 2016 at 5:53 pm

      I was way too hasty in adding the extra egg and gelatin, it is like jello now LOL …live and learn 😀

      Reply
      • zenbellyblog says

        January 16, 2016 at 6:08 pm

        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

        January 17, 2016 at 3:01 pm

        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 🙂

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Hello, and Welcome! I'm so glad you're here. Why? Because my most favorite thing is to help home cooks feel like pros in their kitchens. A little about me... I've been cooking professionally for a long time - around 25 years - and ...

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