Honey, Almonds, Custard - Oh My

I have always loved marzipan (preferably chocolate covered) and pignoli cookies - I think it's an almond paste thing.  So when I saw the lovely and talented Baking Barrister's Honey Almond Custard, I had to give it a try.  Yes, yes, custard is not "healthy" per say, but sometimes you just gotta indulge!  And when you taste the almondy goodness of this dessert, you won't care if it takes a couple (well, maybe a very lot) of extra push ups to counteract it.

The Barrister makes her custard with plums, but I had some figs on hand and used those instead.  I figured with the sweetness of the figs, I could cut down on the sugar during prep.  Even with half the sugar, the result was fabulous.

Honey Almond Custard with Figs

1 1/2 cups milk
4 egg yolks
4 tbsp honey
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp almond extract
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
10 almonds, finely chopped
8 figs

In a bowl, whisk together the yolks, honey, cornstarch, and extracts.  In a saucepan, heat the milk until steaming but not boiling.  Gradually add the hot milk to your egg mixture, whisking continuously.  Return mixture to saucepan and heat on medium, whisking until it begins to bubble.  Remove from heat and let cool for an hour or more.

Slice 2 of the figs and layer on the bottom of your ramekins or serving bowl.  I didn't have a clear glass serving bowl for this so the trifle bowl fit the bill. 

Chop the remaining figs and mix with the cinnamon and sugar. Add chopped almonds and heat in a saucepan over low heat until fruit is softened. Let cool.

When custard is cool, spread into serving bowl or ramekins over sliced figs.  Top with scoops of cooled fruit mixture.

Sometimes the view from the bottom isn't so bad:

I wish I could say I had time for more than a second helping of this custard, but my husband devoured it like there weren't enough egg yolks in the world to make more.  But, I did reserve just enough to try it out as a frozen custard pop.  Rocket ship shaped, of course, and equally delicious!  :)