Having bought too much pumpkin for 2 a couple of days earlier, I turned the surplus pumpkin puree into pumpkin ice cream. It was good, but there's room for improvement (a tad icy due to the high water content, methinks). Then ended up with 4 surplus egg whites. There was a quick twitter convo with Gastronomous Anonymous about what to do with them (macarons were mentioned, but given my 50/50 track record I wasn't ready to tackle them again... yet); conclusion somehow came to steamed milk custard, Hong Kong style.
What the heck. Super easy, kinda quick. As long as the steaming time is right it's pretty much fail safe.
Here goes.
For 1 egg white: 2 1/2 slightly heaped teaspoons sugar (I used raw castor, but you can use white), 150ml milk.
Beat the eggs with the sugar until all the sugar has dissolved and the mix is frothy, but not stiff. Beat in the milk until combined well. Sieve to remove the froth.
Pour into desired bowl, cover (with foil, baking paper, or an upside down plate) and steam on a medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until just set - the centre should have a nice panna cotta like wobble.
Serve piping hot or chilled from the fridge. Up to you.
Obviously for a firmer custard, use less milk. For a more decadent one, add more milk or substitute part of the milk for pouring cream - make sure the cream hasn't got any gums or thickeners though. And adjust the sugar to taste.
Post done, just as my last custard is ready from the steamer. Told you it'd be quick!
