No Stir Cooked Eggnog, Custard or Pudding - Chocolate, Vanilla,

Submitted by ItalianMama

"Did you know that you can make from-scratch soft custard, pudding or cooked eggnog without having to deal with all that stirring in a pot on the stovetop, trying not to burn the milk or curdle the eggs? Not to mention those annoying bits of cooked egg no matter how hard you try? Well, in my quest for lazy (but still tasty!) recipes, I've stumbled across this method that's about as easy as you can get, short of buying a box of instant pudding. And no little egg bits! This is a basic recipe, but at the bottom I'll tell you how to customize it."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 4
• Yields: 1 bowl (varies)
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1⁄2 cups milk
• 1⁄3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions

1. In a 1.5 quart or larger glass casserole dish, add all ingredients and mix together - it doesn't have to be perfect, though.
2. Place dish in a larger pan and fill with hot water to the level of the custard or as close as you can get (no higher than 1/2 inch from the top of the pan). Bake at 325 for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean (it will be wet, but there should be no liquidy custard sticking to it).
3. Remove from oven and water bath and allow to cool for just a minute or two. Spoon/dump the hot custard into a blender or food processor, being VERY CAREFUL not to burn yourself. Put on the lid and blend/process until mixture is completely pureed and smooth. It will be runny. Pour into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours until custard is cold and thickened.
4. VARIATION - CHOCOLATE PUDDING: While pureeing custard, add chocolate syrup to the mixture to taste. You can use dark chocolate or milk chocolate syrup. I don't have an exact quantity - just eyeball it until it looks and tastes good!
5. VARIATION - OTHER FLAVORS: Add in other stuff to the custard while mixing in the blender. Some ideas - butterscotch, caramel or fruit syrup, or use flavored extracts from the baking aisle. Make sure whatever you add isn't too runny or juicy, because this will prevent the pudding from setting up properly. You can also stir in fresh fruit after the pudding is set. One of my favorite combos is to drain a can of cinnamon fried apples, dice them, and then mix them in the pudding. Serve with some caramel sauce drizzled on top - yummy!
6. VARIATION - EGGNOG: After custard cools and sets up in the refrigerator, spoon into a pitcher. Stir in any combination of milk, half-and-half, cream, etc. until it's the consistency you want. Add nutmeg to taste, and rum or brandy if you like. You may have to sample it a couple of times to get it just right - but I consider that a plus! But you may want to write down the quantities you used so you can make it the same way next time.
7. VARIATION - CUSTARD SAUCE: Mix in cream or half-and-half to the consistency you'd like, plus any flavorings you want.