Daniel Skurnick’s Franco-Chinese Steamed Ginger Custard
This custard, a mix of French and Chinese techniques and tastes, comes from the New York pastry chef Daniel Skurnick. Because Mr. Skurnick is responsible for the desserts at the French restaurant Le Coucou and the pan-Asian restaurant Buddakan, this kind of blending comes easily to him. Here, he uses just five ingredients to make a dessert that is packed with the flavor of ginger and has the quintessential jiggle and litheness of custard. It reminds me most of an oven-baked French crème caramel, but it’s steamed, the way many Asian desserts are. If you have a bamboo steamer that fits over a wok, this is the time to use it – its flat bottom is perfect for this job. If all you have is a steamer insert, don’t despair – just make the dessert in two batches. Once chilled, the custards are lovely plain, but for a bit more polish, pour over a few spoonfuls of spiced caramel syrup.
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