Crossfit is hard. Seriously. And the funny thing? I feel like it's even more of a mental challenge than physical some days. Today we worked on back squats, which is one of the things I struggle with the most so far. It can be super frustrating when I want so badly to improve quickly, but the lower half of my body just doesn't want to do what I want it to do. I made some baby-steps of progress, and even though I left feeling really weepy and defeated today, I'm determined to go back tomorrow and make a little more progress.
Know what's not hard? Making Nom Nom Paleo's pumpkin custard. Not hard at all, I promise. I pinky-promise. I got home from Crossfit feeling crappy and defeated and needed a win, so I grabbed a few ingredients and threw together a tasty paleo-friendly dessert. Wanna make some?
Start by pre-heating the oven to 325 degrees. While that's heating up, shake up a can of coconut milk, then heat up 1 1/4 cups of the coconut milk on the stove until it's just warmed. Don't let it boil!
While that's warming up, grab a medium sized bowl, and crack in four eggs along with 1/2 cup of grade B maple syrup. Whisk the eggs and syrup together until well combined. I use my fancy old-fashioned hand mixer that I'm obsessed with. It makes me feel like Donna Reed.
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Once the coconut milk has warmed up, add it into the egg and syrup mixture very slowly. Just put it in a few tablespoons at a time, otherwise you'll end up cooking the eggs (and you don't want that...yet).
Mix together until well combined.
Next, add in 3/4 cup of pumpkin puree, as well as 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt. Mix until well combined, and until you can't see any more lumps of pumpkin floating around in there.
Grab your kettle, fill it with water, and bring to a boil.
Divide your pumpkin mixture into 4 large ramekins (I like to use my turkey baster for this - it makes it a little bit less messy). Lay a clean dish towel in the bottom of a large deep baking dish. Place your ramekins in the dish on top of the towels, and pour boiled water into the dish until the ramekins are about halfway submerged in the water. Place the baking dish in the oven, and bake for 30-50 minutes (or until the custards are set, and a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean). Carefully remove the ramekins from the baking dish, and place them on a cooling rack.
Now what? You can top them with a dollop of whipped coconut cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg. You could also sprinkle it with toasted coconut, or with a little drizzle of extra maple syrup. And if you decided to eat one with some fruit for breakfast? I wouldn't judge....
Pumpkin Custards (from Nom Nom Paleo)
1 1/4 cups coconut milk
4 eggs
1/2 cup grade B maple syrup
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Gather 4 medium-sized ramekins, and place them in a deep baking dish lined with a clean dish towel. At this time, bring a kettle or a large pot of water to a boil.
Heat the coconut milk on the stove in a small pot until just warmed (not boiling). While the milk is warming up, whisk together the eggs and maple syrup in a medium sized bowl. Once the milk is warmed, add it to the egg mixture a few tablespoons at a time (not too quickly, or the eggs will start to cook!). Once combined, add in the remainder of the ingredients. Fill the ramekins with the pumpkin mixture leaving about 1/2 inch of space at the top. Place the filled ramekins in the baking dish, and pour the boiling water until the water level is about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 30-50 minutes (it varies for me, I just bake it in 15 minute increments until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean).
These will keep in the fridge for a day or two, so they're perfect for making ahead if you're having people over and want an impressive dessert. They're also perfect if you want pumpkin custard 4 times.
Enjoy!
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