Custard Mochi

Two more days until we are basking in Hawaii!

This weekend we said farewell to our Los Angeles friends with a potluck party in our front yard. While we are looking forward to our island adventures during our sabbatical, it is hard to leave so many dear friends for six months.

But rest assured, we will be back in January. Meanwhile, I will continue to blog here. You can probably expect a surge of local Hawaiian recipes and photos of us lounging on the beach.

As a preview of things to come, here is one of my favorite island desserts, custard mochi.

Mochi, a sweet and chewy Japanese rice cake, comes in an expansive variety of flavors and colors. This mochi has two distinct layers - a bottom layer that is gooey and dense, topped with a buttery custard layer with a browned, crisp top.

Custard Mochi (from Hawaii's Best Mochi Recipes)

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2 cups mochiko (10-ounce package)

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs, beaten

3 teaspoons baking powder

4 cups milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

Blend together butter, sugar and eggs. Add mochiko and baking powder, and mix well. Add milk and vanilla, and mix until smooth. Pour into a buttered, floured 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cool completely, and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.