Oatmeal Bars Topped with Coconut Custard

 

In Jamaica, a good sweet potato pudding (which very few people know how to make well), comes with a soft coconut custard topping that forms during the baking process. The process is described as "Hell a top, Hell a Bottom, and Heaven in between". It refers to the method of baking where the dutch pot with the pudding is placed on a slow charcoal fire, and a zinc sheet with live coals is place on top of the "Dutchie". It is the top layer of heat that acts like a broiler to form the custard. The resulting pudding is just as described..."Heaven"! The pudding however is very rich and sweet, but since I like the custard (which in itself is not too healthy), I wanted to find a way to have the best of both worlds. The oatmeal bar, with the custard on top is not a bad replacement! Just don't eat too much as Coconut milk/cream is full of saturated fat!

2 eggs

½ cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

½ teaspoon salt (if no sodium restriction)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups milk

¼ cup applesauce

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter

3 cups quick oats

¼ cup arrowroot flour

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons oil

Topping

½ cup coconut milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

 

Line the bottom of an 8x8 inch glass casserole with parchment paper. Liberally grease the sides of the baking dish.

Place sugar, milk and butter in a small saucepan. Slowly bring to a boil until sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool

Mix oats with 2 tablespoons oil and spread on a parchment covered baking sheet. Bake in a convection oven for 30 minutes at 325 degrees F or until a nice golden color.

Mix oats, baking powder, flours, spices in a large bowl and set aside.

Whisk eggs, vanilla, and applesauce together, then add cooled milk mixture to that.

Mix wet and dry ingredients together and pour into prepared baking dish

Refrigerate overnight, covered. Before baking, prepare topping and pour over the surface of the oatmeal.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 45-50  minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Switch the oven to "Broil" and broil for about 3-5 minutes. Cut into bar size of your choosing.