August 29, 2007

Rennet Custard

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vanilla flavored custard with honey and pistachio halva

While grocery shopping I happened upon some boxes of rennet tablets for making cheese, custard, and ice cream. I remember reading about custard made with rennet from 80 Breakfasts' blog a few weeks ago so I got 2 boxes (8 tablets per box) and experimented with whole, 2% fat, and fat free instant powdered milk. Of course, the whole milk tastes better but if you are on a low fat diet or the only available milk in your area is ultra pasteurized (UP), the powdered milk or fat free milk are not bad at all, as long as the fresh milk is not UP. I also have a large container of Lebanese pistachio halva which I crumbled on top of the vanilla flavored custard and drizzled a little sage honey. You can also add lemon, orange, or almond extract or diced canned fruits like peaches and pears, the recipes are inside the box. I will add ginger infused syrup with the next batch of vanilla custard.


The consistency of the custard is somewhat gelatinous but creamy, I can accurately describe it as more like taho (Chinese-Filipino soft tofu eaten with brown sugar syrup). I love that it is very light but so delicious. I also like that since there are no egg yolks, the custard doesn't taste eggy.

To make custards using rennet you will need a thermometer that reads from zero to 220 degrees F because the right temperature of the milk is essential to make the rennet work.


lemon flavored custard made with instant powdered milk

This rennet is called junket rennet which is fine for making custards and ice cream and also for some soft cheeses but not for hard cheese because it is weaker than regular rennet.
The 2% fat milk is the favorite in my house. It is light, creamy, excellent plain, but pairs very well with ginger syrup.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi oggi, is rennet available at regular grocery stores? Or did you find in a specialty market?

Oggi said...

Hi marvin
I got them at our local grocery, Wegmans. I'm not sure if Wegmans is considered a specialty store but they do promote local produce and organic food items. You might find the rennets at Wholefoods, try looking near the Sure-jel/gelatins section. The brand is Junket and the box is quite tiny, about 3 x 3 x 1 inch.

Sidney said...

Your family is lucky that you like to experiment with food.

Oggi said...

sidney, I hope they think they are.:)

Gitta said...

Sidney, I KNOW I'm lucky. ^__^

Mom, I love yoooou! I brought one of the custards with me to work for breakfast, and everyone kept looking at me like they wanted to ask what it was. Mmmmm cuss-tid.

Oggi said...

Aww, that's sweet!

Anonymous said...

Hi Oggi...I came across your recipe 'cause I make a custard that reminds me of my mom's "rennet" custard that she used to make, so I was doing a search for it. I learned this recipe in Mexico (where I currently live) It's called Jericaya (pronounced hairy-caya) and it's simple and light and delicious. Combine 4 cps whole milk, 1 tbs vanilla 1/2 cup sugar and 2 cinnamon sticks in a saucepan. Bring the milk just to a boil, then turn off heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Remove cinnamon sticks; add 3 eggs one at a time while mixing on low, then mix at high for about a minute. Strain and pour into 8 custard cups. Place cups in a cake pan with very hot water up to 3/4 of the cup's depth- Bake at 375° for 30 - 35 mins, until tops are golden brown. A very smooth and light custard! Tom in Mexico.

Oggi said...

Hi Tom.

Thank you for the recipe and for visiting.:)

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