Fish Fingers & Custard (quick version)
I have a little confession to make: I’m a Whovian. For those that don’t speak geek, this means I love Doctor Who more than should probably be legal. (Of course, now that I think about it, this isn’t so much a confession as it is a declaration but, you know, whatever works, right?)
If you’re not familiar with Doctor Who, to quote the awesome Neil Gaman:
People are intimidated. They think that there’s 47 years worth of stuff they need to know before they can enjoy anything. And what you want to say is, No. Look, there is a blue box. It is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. It can go anywhere in time and space and sometimes even where it’s meant to go. And when it turns up there’s a bloke in it called the Doctor, and there will be stuff wrong and he will do his best to sort it out and he will probably succeed, because he’s awesome. Now sit down, shut up, and watch “Blink.”
Psst… there’s also this handy Beginner’s Guide to Doctor Who. (Yeah, I’ve got a purpose to this. What of it?)
EDIT (4/3/2012): Looks like BBC America’s official Doctor Who Tumblr declared April 3, 2012 “Fish Fingers and Custard Day” in honor (honour?) of the 11th Doctor’s debut in the Series 5 episode The Eleventh Hour and featured a link this recipe on their official page along with Bakingdom’s awesome fish fingers & custard cookies. I’m a happy Whovian!! <3 <3
Anyhow, the Doctor does this handy thing where instead of dying, he regenerates into a new one. Different body, different personality but with all the same memories as his predecessor. The Doctor is currently on his 11th incarnation, played by the wonderful Matt Smith.
After he regenerated, the Doctor crash landed at the house of a little girl named Amelia Pond and immediately asks for something to eat. Amelia obliged and prepared some food (including apple, yogurt, beans, bacon, butter and bread) only to have the Doctor reject them all. “New mouth, new rules.” He finally settled on the strange combination of fish fingers (fish sticks) and custard.
The 11th Doctor eating fish fingers & custard
(BTW this is NOT my animated gif! I’d give credit if I knew who did it.)
But being the obsessed Whovian that I am, I decided that I had to try it. (Fandom makes you do stupid things sometimes. This can account for pretty much the entirety of my adulthood, now that I think about it.) While not as gross as I expected, I decided to try another take on them except this time, I’d make them delicious.
(Sorry, Doctor. I adore you like no one’s business but I just don’t share your taste buds.)
If you Google “fish fingers and custard recipes” you’ll find a bunch of different takes on the snack. Matt Smith admitted in an interview that the fish fingers were actually breaded cakes. I took that idea and ran with it for an almost too-easy take on the Time Lord’s favorite snack.
This is a great dessert to have your little geeklings help with, especially with the dipping and coating of the “fish fingers.” My Whovian 3 year old now insists that vanilla pudding must be eaten with fish fingers “just like the Doctor!”
If you wanted to fancy it up a bit, you could make the pound cake from scratch. And the graham cracker crumbs too, if you really wanted to show off your mad baking skills. But using store bought pound cake makes it simple and really, no one will call you out if you go the semi-homemade route. (Really, this is what I had to tell myself.)
Inspired by the 11th Doctor's meal with Amelia Pond, this fish sticks and custard recipe is easy to make and tastes great even when your tastebuds aren't addled from a recent regeneration.
Ingredients
- Pound cake (store bought is fine)
- Vanilla glaze
- 1/3 c powdered sugar, sfited
- 1 1/2 Tbsp milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Graham cracker crumbs or Digestive Biscuit crumbs
- Vanilla pudding or British custard
Instructions
Cut your pound cake into 1/2" square batons and set aside.
Combine sifted powdered sugar with vanilla extract and milk. The glaze should be thin.
Dip your pound cake batons in the glaze mixture, letting excess drip off
Roll in graham cracker (or Digestive) crumbs until well coated
Remove to a rack to let the frosting & crumb mixture set for 15 to 20 minutes before enjoying
Serve with British style custard (prepare according to package directions) or slightly thinned out American-style vanilla pudding.
More Fish Finger and Custard recipes
Want more takes on the Doctor’s favorite snack? Try some of these sites out!
- Fish Fingers (& Chips) with “Custard” at the official Doctor Who BBC America website
- Darla at Bakingdom has an great sugar-cookie based Fish Fingers & Custard recipe (Also check out her Weeping Angel cookies!)
- Fish fingers & custard at Andy’s Kitchen (UK)
- J’aime Le Gateau created a fancy fish croquette with vanilla bean aioli! Wow!
