Baked Mango Custard

Branded Products Add Variety

Splenda branded menu items give restaurants a more distinguished status in the mind of consumers.

Restaurant operators have started upgrading their menus and enhancing items with well-known brands, finding it increases sales, repeat visits and, most importantly, customer satisfaction.

For years, business owners and industry leaders have been building brand equity and spending millions in the process. This is an investment that does more than increase immediate sales. It allows customers to identify with brands more easily and encourages repeat purchases and long-term brand loyalty. Of course, this cannot happen unless those brands consistently deliver value, taste and convenience.

How does this affect operators? Consumers are spending more time and money in foodservice, whether it's restaurants, hospitals or school dining halls. With branded menu offerings, everyone wins. Suppliers are able to leverage their own brand in a variety of respected establishments, operators are able to raise their bottom line by raising the perceived value of their menu options, and the customers get familiar brands and food quality that is consistent, making them much more likely to return to a specific establishment.

This can be especially important when dealing with menu items that will affect the customer's perception of the quality of taste and healthfulness. When dealing with these nutritional choices or decisions based on varied nutritional needs, customers are more concerned than ever with reliability and consistency.

One proven popular choice when making these crucial and delicate menu decisions has been Splenda® No Calorie Sweetener, recently expanding its product line into foodservice-friendly, back-of-house formats. Culinary star Chef Angela Tustin creates Plate Restaurant's beautiful pastries in Admore, Pennsylvania, and has been using Splenda® No Calorie Sweetener in her kitchen for six years and says there's a good reason for that. "Splenda is great because it's just so easy to use. It measures just like sugar and it cooks really well." One of Tustin's specialties is contemporary comfort food. She makes all of her desserts from scratch and uses only fresh fruits and the finest quality ingredients.

Chef Tustin found that customers were demanding menu choices to fit the healthier lifestyles they were leading. "People wanted a low carb option and Splenda is just a great way to do that." In fact, according to Restaurant Hospitality's Consumer Dining Insights, healthful food choices ranked as the second most important factor when choosing to return to a full-service restaurant.

Another reason operators find Splenda brand products so easy to use is the diverse product line. It can be used for virtually any application. There are, of course, the yellow packets customers have come to expect on their tables for sweetening beverages. But Splenda has also recently introduced back-of-house formats like Splenda® No Calorie Sweetener in canisters or pouches for high-volume beverage sweetening, and Splenda® No Calorie Sweetener Granulated for baking, which measures cup-for-cup like sugar and creates delectable reduced-calorie desserts.

With Splenda® No Calorie Sweetener, Chef Tustin is easily able to put items on her menu that are lower in calories and made with a product that's very well known. These kinds of products put customers' minds at ease, providing something better for them, something familiar and something consistent. "People know the Splenda name and know they can trust it."

Baked Mango Custard

Bake Time: 25-30 minutes
Chill Time: 25 minutes
Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients
1 cup fresh mango puree
4 large eggs
½ cup Splenda® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
1 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°F.

Process the mango in a food processor or blender until smooth, use 1 cup and save the remainder for another day.

Beat eggs at medium speed with an electric mixer until frothy; add Splenda® No Calorie Sweetener Granulated, beating until blended. Gradually add milk, 1 cup mango puree and vanilla, beating at low speed until blended.

Pour custard mixture into 8 (6-ounce) custard cups. Set custard cups in a roasting pan; add hot water to a depth of 1 inch.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove custard cups from water. Serve custards at room temperature or chilled with mango slices and a dollop of whipped topping.

Optional Garnish: Mango slices and whipped topping.

Note: Use ripe mangoes for best results. Recipe may be tripled if needed.

For more information, visit www.splendafoodservice.com.

© McNeil Nutritionals, LLC 2008. Splenda® is a registered trademark of McNeil Nutritionals, LLC. The third-party trademarks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.