Savoury Custard Pie

Everyone told me, milk creates dessert... I rebelled to this thought. Obviously we know abt the famous white sauce, but I wanted something more daring. Something like, savoury Custard Pie with lots of milk and veggies, but no cheese. See, the theory behind was that putting in a large quantity of milk will provide a rich dairy taste that we all love and like; making it light and healthy, in the same time!!

Another good reason I wanted to make such a recipe was because I was bored out of my wits while looking at such milky white pictures I have been uploading for a while now. I needed colours in my life and what better colour than this pretty dish. Once out of the oven, I lightly sprinkled on some parmesan, utterly avoidable!!! I did it, for the sake of a pretty picture.

Ingredients:

Veggies: Pretty much whatever you like and your fridge has.

Meat: purely optional, but if you want you can use some cooked chicken breast or cold cuts, as your heart desires.

3-4 tbsp olive oil

Parmeggiano grated to decorate (optional)

Custard:

1 egg

1 cup plain white flour

1¼ cup milk

Salt

Black pepper

2 tsp of dried herb of your choice; I used thyme and oregano

2/3 tsp garlic paste

Method:

Preheat the oven to the hottest temperature possible. In a roasting pan, put in the olive oil and heat it through for a minute or so.

In the meanwhile prep your veggies and meat in a big dice, as shown in the pic. This way the veggies will cook maintaining their shape.

Now mix in the veggies with the hot oil and evenly spread them over the roasting pan. Bake these for 20 minutes at 220deg c.

Prepare the custard in the time it takes for the veggies to cook. In a large mixing bowl or jug, crack in the egg and pour in the milk. Lightly whisk the egg and get it incorporated in the milk. Now slowly in three additions, add the flour. Whip till you get a smooth lump free mix.

Now season it with salt and pepper as per your taste, and add the flavouring herb and garlic paste. Mix well and keep it aside till the veggies cook.

Once the veggies are cooked, season them well with salt and pepper, and pour in the prepared custard.

Return to the oven for 30 minutes, till the custard has puffed and become golden on the edges. Lower the temperature to 200 deg c and continue cooking till it’s crispy on the edges and soft and fluffy in the centre. It should take another 15 minutes or so. Garnish it with a light sprinkling of parmesan and enjoy the milky goodness of a Salty Custard Pie!!!

Tip: The rich taste of Pride of cow’s milk really didn’t let us miss cheese in this recipe. In case you are not too sure if your brand of milk will work well for this recipe, you can put in a tsp full of milk powder in that and mix well to combine. That will enhance the dairy taste, though keeping it light on calories!

Cheers!!