Does your toddler have a sweet tooth? While you can easily find savory recipes like dals and curries, nutritious desserts for babies are quite rare to find. Fruit custard is a timeless dessert, simple, healthy, mouthwatering and can be made in so many different ways! It is also a great way to sneak some fruits to your baby’s tummy! Let’s now see how to make healthy fruit custard for your baby!
What is the meaning of fruit custard?
Most of us are familiar with the fruit custard that we can make from custard powder. But custard wasn’t always made this way. The Chinese made custards with thick milk, eggs and sugar and served them in a pie crust. The Portuguese serve custard inside a puff pastry, with its top layer caramelized under a hot oven fire. Crème moulée is custard that is thickened with egg yolk. Pastry crème is custard thickened with eggs and starch. You can add gelatin to custards and even fold in some whipped cream. The Japanese make custards savoury, called chawanmushi. Chawanmushi is served with prawns, mushrooms and veggies as topping.
Is fruit custard good for health?
The fruit custard that we make with whole egg yolks is great for babies and toddlers. Because it is made with milk, eggs and fruits as the main ingredients, custards are a great source of calcium, proteins, fats and nutrients. You can serve your baby fruit custards as a part of a balanced diet as it also feeds your baby extra sugars that they don’t need. The custard that we make from powders are not baby-friendly.
Fruit Custard Recipe for your Baby
Ingredients for fruit custard
- 1 cup of milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. of vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp. of sugar
- ½ tsp. cinnamon powder
- Cut fruits.
Instructions
- Break the 2 eggs into a dry bowl. Add the cinnamon, vanilla and sugar to the eggs. Beat well.
- Pour room temperature milk to the egg mixture and mix well until the sugar is dissolved.
- Place the egg bowl inside a wide pan. Pour water into the pan till it reaches halfway to the bowl.
- Close the pan and steam the custard in medium high for 25 to 30 minutes.
- When cooked, remove the custard from the pan. Set in in the refrigerator for 3 hours to get a pudding consistency or serve directly for creamy consistency.
- Garnish with toppings and serve.
For smaller babies, you can just use egg yolks to get a silky creamier custard. Click here to see our savoury egg custard recipe!
What goes well with custard?
You can customize custards with:
- Cut fruits like apples, bananas, mangoes, strawberries and pomegranates.
- Powdered (for babies) nuts like cashews, almonds, walnuts and pistachios.
- Grated chocolate, Choco chips, chocolate syrup.
- Caramel.
- Seeds like melon seeds, chia seeds for older kids.
- Dried fruits like raisins, apricots and mangoes.
- Granola.
- Marmalade
- Fruit syrups
Is custard healthier than ice cream?
Both ice creams and custards are made with milk and sugar – the main difference between them lies in the egg yolk. Custard generally has lesser calories than ice cream, and the addition of fresh fruits makes it much more desirable for kids. Both ice creams and custards are rich in potassium, sodium, fats, calcium and sugars.
When can you give your baby fruit custard?
Eggs are an excellent choice for your baby’s first solid food. You can give your baby egg yolks at 6 months and slowly include egg whites as well. If your baby is 8 months or older, you can go ahead with whole eggs.
How do you thicken fruit custard?
Starch can be used to thicken fruit custard. Whisk a spoonful of corn flour with a few spoonful of cold water and add to the custard. Stir non-stop and let it boil for a few minutes. You can also use arrowroot powder to thicken your custard in the same way for a healthier alternative.
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