From Chilled, Velvety Custards to Frozen Delights, Custards You need to try: Quick Dessert Recipes

Custards are mostly cooked or baked and are an uncomplicated dessert that used to be savoury once upon a time. But today numerous versions of custards can be found some leaning heavily towards using caramel and some just plain vanilla. Eggs are an important part of custards whether or not it has a burnt top or caramel sauce cascading down its sides. Here are some quick dessert recipes for custards from the hinterland of the Netherlands to the Italian shores with their frozen versions. These delish dessert recipes are finger licking good.

1. Vla

It’s a traditional Dutch custard that is ultra smooth and velvety with a rich taste and is eaten off dessert bowls. It is made with milk, sugar, cornstarch, eggs, and vanilla essence and in flavours ranging from caramel, vanilla, chocolate to raspberry. In the Netherlands, it is made from fresh and pure cow milk and vla, had a different name. It is derived from the Limburgish word “vlaai”, which is a Dutch pie, this word changed to “vlade” and some centuries later, it got watered down to “vla”. This custard used to go into the Dutch pie but it's eaten as is with a topping of whipped cream. It is sold in cartons as a dairy in the country as it’s considered a dairy product.

2. Biscuit Tortoni

This is a famous Italian custard ice cream which is flavoured with crushed amaretti cookies, which are equally famous and the dessert is then topped with chopped almonds and cherries. Although its origins are unclear, it is said that it was created by the famed Italian immigrant in Paris, chef Giuseppe Tortoni, who introduced France to gelato by serving it at his famous cafe in Paris in the 1700s, which writers and artists frequented. It is made with heavy cream and eggs topped with almonds, cherries or crushed macarons.

3. Rozata

This is Croatia’s version of the caramel custard flan that derives its name from Rozulin, a rose-flavoured liqueur. This custard is baked in ramekins after mixing eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and the rose liqueur. The lemon and rose liqueur make this custard a refreshing treat to have on hot summer days. Of course, like caramel custard, the caramel sauce goes into the ramekins before the custard liquid is poured into them. It comes from Dubrovnik, where it is said to have been prepared since the Middle Ages.

4. Tigeladas

A traditional Portuguese custard, Tigeladas is made with egg yolks, milk, sugar and lemon zest with sometimes cinnamon thrown in the mix. What makes this custard special is that it is baked in earthen dishes made from clay. Just before baking the surface is generously sprinkled with ground cinnamon. Post-baking, the Tigeladas’ surfaces brown quite nicely while the insides remain silky just like how a custard ought to be. The most accepted theory of its origin is that it originated in a convent in Alcaravela, possibly made by nuns.

5. Lattacciolo

From the rugged Abruzzo region of Italy comes a rustic yet refined custard called Lattacciolo. It goes back to ancient times and is essentially a creme caramel made with just a few simple ingredients - milk, eggs, sugar, and lemon zest. After whisking eggs into scalding milk, the mixture is poured into ring moulds and baked in a water bath until set. Unmolded and chilled, each delicate portion has a velvety custard base capped with that delectable caramelized sauce running down from its top and pooling at the base.

6. Herrencreme

This custard is perhaps the simplest of them all and comes from Germany. It uses only three ingredients – whipped cream, vanilla custard and grated dark chocolate. Because there's nothing else in it, a little booze is sneaked into this custard. To the custard, cognac, rum or whiskey might be added to add more flavour to the Herrencreme. It's served in glass bowls or cups and with the chocolate shavings sometimes fruits are added as topping too. You will find these being made and served for special occasions like birthdays, weddings and festive occasions like Christmas, otherwise, it remains a popular after-lunch dessert.

7. Mató de Pedralbes

In the heart of Barcelona, the cloistered nuns of a Pedralbes convent crafted a sweet legacy back in the 1800s. Wanting to elevate the flavour of the popular crema catalana custard, they developed a richer, more indulgent custard, flavoured with cinnamon. This creamy custard was called Mató de Pedralbes or “nun's mató”. It blends milk, sugar, cornflour, and egg yolks into a delicious custard that is smooth and velvety.

8. Budino Margot

Budino Margot or Torta Margot is another Italian custard made from a mixture of egg yolks, fresh cream, and sugar that is baked over a base of crushed amaretti cookies and chocolate. Vanilla, rum, amaretto, or lemon zest is often added to the custard can be added for more flavour. The mixture is baked in a water bath until it sets into its thick but creamy form. It is usually made in a bundt or a pan and eaten chilled, served with amaretti crumbs sprinkled over the top.