(I should probably premise this story with the fact that I am the Canadian born offspring of two Guyanese parents)...
It was my Dad's birthday a few months ago. He's one of those people who doesn't really like a big fuss on their birthday (which I don't understand - I feel as though my birthday should be a national holiday). Because he doesn't like a big fuss, we try to keep it low key, but special.
This year, I decided to flip through this Guyanese cookbook we had (dated 1973) and attempt something for dessert for his birthday from 'home' (anyone with Guyanese family living abroad knows that Guyana is referred to as 'back home' or just 'home')....
 |
| I love crazy cookbooks like this....you just never know what you might find in them! |
In it, I found a recipe for something called 'Custard Block'.....
I thought this recipe was great for a couple of reasons (1) Because it's called 'Custard Block'...that's exactly what it is. A block of frozen custard. And (2) because it's main ingredient is something called 'Bird's Custard Powder'. Now, Birds Custard Powder brings back many memories from my childhood. It's one of the first things that my Mom would let me make on my own. It’s a custard powder, which when you add milk and sugar to it over heat - makes this gloop-y yellow custard that my dad LOVES with any sort of pie or crumble (there were equal parts pie and custard in his bowl)...
Custard block is like ice cream without all the work. I used fat free evaporated milk, which really lightened the recipe up. It's a great summer dessert and really easy to make.
 |
| Fat-free goodness.... |
Adapted from 'What's Cooking in Guyana' Cookbook
Serves 6
Serves 6
