Around The World In Custard Desserts

By Ujjainee Roy

Flan (Spain/Latin America)

Flan uses condensed milk to achieve a superbly creamy texture. It’s baked in a caramel-coated mold, chilled, and inverted for serving. It’s very similar to a classic creme caramel

Panna Cotta (Italy)

Most panna cotta variants are made with gelatin. They’re usually heated, infused with vanilla or other flavors, mixed with gelatin, and chilled until set. Italian panna cotta is often served with fruit compote.

Custard Tart (United Kingdom)

Very similar to the Portuguese egg tart, this delicacy features a shortcrust pastry alongside eggs, sugar and milk. It’s baked in a tart shell and the custard usually sets in while baking

Aish el Saraya (Middle East):

For this dessert, bread or biscuits are layered with custard, topped with sugar syrup, and sometimes garnished with pistachios. It also makes use of aromatics like orange blossom water, rose water or lemon juice.

Maja Blanca (Philippines):

This sweet Asian custard has coconut milk, cornstarch, sugar, condensed milk, corn kernels. It’s cooked on the stovetop until thickened, then poured into molds and topped with toasted grated coconut.

Intro

Why stick to creme caramel? Explore these exotic custards from all over the world – from pana cotta to creme brulee

Crème Brûlée (France):

A classic creme brulee is usually served in a water bath, and then chilled. It typically features egg yolks, sugar, vanilla extract and heavy cream. The top is sprinkled with sugar and caramelized with a torch before serving.

Dulce de Leche Flan (Argentina):

The process of making this is similar to traditional flan but the addition of dulce de leche brings forth a caramelized and sweet flavor. It also uses custard cream and caramel for its smokiness.