My mom made custard all the time when I was a kid.  It was a simple baked egg custard, just eggs, milk, vanilla, a little sugar to sweeten it up and a sprinkling of nutmeg on top.  I loved it and it was one of the first things I learned to make by myself.  The secret to making exceptional baked custard is to cook them in a low oven (325F) and in a water bath to ensure even cooking.  (The first time I was taught to make custard in culinary school, in France, the instructor said that when the custard is finished cooking it should jiggle like a young woman’s breast. Not a very pc thing to say, but I’ve never forgotten it.)  It wasn’t until recently that I realized what a great, healthy snack this is.  You get protein from the eggs and calcium from the milk.  You can use whole milk or low fat milk if you prefer.  You can also make a dairy free version with almond milk, soy or rice milk.  (Personally I like a blend of 50% soy and 50% rice)  Baked custard will keep in the fridge for about 5 days, give or take, if they last that long.  I like mine for breakfast with fresh fruit or as a mid afternoon pick me up.

This is the recipe that I like to use.

Colonial Cup Custard

Classic Home Desserts, by Richard Sax (out of print, but you can still find copies of this wonderful cookbook on Amazon.)

5 or 6 servings

Preheat the oven to 325F

2 cups of milk (whole, low fat, rice, soy etc.)

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

¼ cup of sugar

1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract

A few sprinkles of fresh nutmeg

Beat the eggs, egg yolk and sugar together until well blended. Pour in the milk and mix to combine.  Add the vanilla extract and stir.   

Optional step:  Sieve at this point for an extra silky smooth result.

Tips for maneuvering custard into the oven.

1. Heat water for your water bath. (I use my tea kettle.) This will shorten the cooking time. 
2. Pour the custard into your custard cups, sprinkle the tops with nutmeg and have them ready next to the stove.  
3. Pull out the oven rack slightly and place your baking pan on the rack. 
4. Fill with pre heated hot water.
5. Place the custard cups in the water bath.
6. Close the oven door and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Once the custard has finished cooking, let it cool to at least room temperature before devouring.  I like mine chilled, but I’ve eaten it warm too.

Tags: colonial cup custard, Dessert

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 29th, 2009 at 2:07 pm and is filed under Dessert. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.