Coconut Custard Fool

Tropical Fruit

1/2 of a large pineapple, chopped in 1/4 " pieces
4 kiwis, peeled, cut into large pieces
1/2 of a large papaya, peeled, seeded, cut into pieces
1 basket of strawberries, hulled, chopped

Syrup
3 cups water
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup dark rum

Coconut Custard
1/2 cup corn starch
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup almond milk
2 cups coconut milk


Martha Stewart inspired me to fool around with her tropical fruit and whipped cream dessert. She tells us that the name came from England. You can go to her website (marthastewart.com) and browse many variations of Fools. With fresh fruit starting to show up in our super markets, I bought kiwi, pineapple, papaya, and strawberries. Along with dark rum...Bru ha ha ha. This was my type of dessert.

What to do about that whipped cream? Vegans don't imbibe cow juice of any kind. Honestly, I don't think that the non-dairy whipped toppings should be the type of food vegans put in their bodies. Yes, I've known the junk food junkie/vegan type before. If you are vegan purely to free the animals, then the thought of eating manufactured, unnatural, unhealthy substances might seem like a small trade off. Do I eat junk food? Of course I do. But I don't want to give into it here.

A vegan custard made with coconut milk pairs nicely with the fruit. I found this on a vegan recipe website, vegweb.com. It is so simple and quick to make. Also, if you have ever cooked milk with eggs in a sauce pan, you know how easy it is to burn the bottom and taint the flavour of your pudding or custard. I happened to be dual tasking. Well, let me just come out and brag about texting on my phone while stirring the coconut mixture on the stove...nary a scald!!! I hope people are impressed with my technical prowess. Although, it could be that this is just one fool proof custard recipe! Feel free to substitute the almond milk for soy milk.

1. Place each fruit in its own bowl. In a medium sauce pan, combine water, sugar, vanilla, and lime juice. Bring to boil, remove from heat, pour in rum. Pour syrup over each fruit and set aside for at least 2 hours. you may cover and refrigerate overnight too.


2. Whisk together the custard ingredients in a medium saucepan, Bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat until it thickens, constantly stirring/whisking to keep texture smooth.


3. Transfer to serving dishes and refrigerate until set.


4. Drain fruit but reserve syrup. Puree the kiwi and papaya separately, adding syrup if necessary for a consistency of applesauce.


5. Layer the fruit on top of the custard. Start with the pureed fruit, then pineapple and strawberries.