Category: Something to Eat - Creamy Dreamy Caramel Custard
So by far the most challenging person to feed in my house is not my twins - it's my husband!
My husband is addicted to sugar. He admits it freely. We talk about it often. He cannot go one day without eating sugar.
Now unlike the craze sweeping the nation at the moment I am actually NOT anti sugar. I personally have no intention of 'quitting' sugar. I think that sugar has been demonised at present - a little bit like fat was in the 80's and 90's.
I personally believe there is nothing wrong with sugar in moderation - providing it's the right kind of sugar that your body can utilise.
White refined sugar is something that I never have in my house, eat myself or let my children have as it's highly addictive and has zero nutritional value. I also think it does weird stuff to your brain, hormones, mood and temperament.
In my cooking I use organic rapadura sugar, organic coconut sugar or coconut nectar, maple syrup & occasionally vanilla sugar. I also sweeten food with dates, sweet potato & bananas and sometimes stewed apples. As long as it is unrefined - has the vitamin and mineral content intact and is ethically sourced I have no problem with sugar in moderation. If you have never cooked with Rapadura sugar before it's very dark brown, still contains the vitamins and minerals and is unrefined. You only need small amounts of it and is has the most beautiful flavour of any sugar you can imagine.
Someone asked me the other day about the amount of fruit my children eat and asked if I was worried about the amount of sugar in fruit. Nope. Not even slightly worried.
My kids are welcome to eat as much fruit as they want. I don't limit them whatsoever. Neither of my children have fructose mal-absorbsion issues and I don't look at sugar in isolation when naturally occurring in these foods. Fruits contain far too much other good stuff to get worried about the natural sugar.
So back to my sugar addicted husband. I originally made this for him. It's sweeter than I normally would make something for myself but if you have someone in your life (or maybe you?!) who find it hard to feel satisfied with a 'sugar-less' dessert then this one is perfect. He liked it and I hope you will too! Alisa
Ingredients
- 300 g organic coconut cream/milk (if you have a can of coconut cream make sure a good bit of the liquid milk goes in - otherwise might need to add some more later or a little water if too thick)
- 1 ripe banana (optional) I enjoyed making it with banana but it works just fine without.
- 2 organic eggs
- 25 g sunflower seeds & 25 g pumkin seeds (or one small handful of each)
- 2 tbs organic maple syrup or (optional) 3 tbs rapadura sugar
- 2tsp organic raw cocao
- 8 - 10 medjool dates
- 1 scraped vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract (try for the bean - it really does transform the taste of this custard!)
- 1.5 tbs organic butter (can be omitted if dairy free but gives it a beautiful buttery texture)
- dash cinnamon
- pinch of salt
Directions
- Blend dates, sunflower & pumkin seeds & coconut milk & banana to high powered food processor or thermomix to make a paste.
- Add remaining ingredients and blend again.
- If using thermomix I mixed for 8 minutes on speed 4 at 90 degrees
- If using a saucepan pour blended mix in and cook on medium heat for 12 - 14 minutes or until custard like - stirring often.
Serve with chopped banana or on Choc Zucchini Muffins.
