Baked Custard

Once in a great while I like to share a recipe. I always choose one I've been asked for time and again. This is one I often make when asked to bring a dessert to share. It's almost a lost art, elegant in its simplicity. The creamy specialty is not all that difficult to make, but its life expectancy in our house is quite short. We like to top it with whipped cream.

Grandma's Baked Custard

Ingredients

3 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

1/2 Cup sugar

3 Cups whole milk

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 Teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°

Butter a 1-quart baking dish and place it in a roasting pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the side of the baking dish.

Place in the oven to heat.

Combine the eggs, egg yolks and sugar, and whisk until thick and pale.

Heat the milk to boiling point and slowly add to the egg mixture, stirring constantly.

Stir in the vanilla.

Remove roasting pan from oven and pour mixture into the baking dish (carefully)

Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Return to the oven. Don't slosh.

Bake 45-60 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. The time will depend on the depth of the baking dish.

NOTES: I often double this recipe and use a 2-quart baking dish. With my particular baking dish it needs to bake about 85 minutes.

Yes, you can use nutmeg from a can, but there really is a difference you will taste if you get some fresh nutmeg and grate it yourself. It's cheap, stays fresh forever and will impress your own taste buds.