Baked Custard – Little House by the Dunes

by Heather Harris-Brady

It’s been about 15 months and what feels like a lifetime since I last posted. There have been a few very bright spots and too many funerals along the way, but something is calling me to reach out. Food has been a great source of comfort and healing for me. Now, in these challenging times, it’s the small thing I have to offer. So I am committing to posting every day for at least the next three weeks. The recipes will be simple comfort food, these recipes may not all be new but I am flipping through the recipe box and picking out things especially for you! You can find them all posted under the new “Comfort Food” category.

This baked custard was one of my grandma’s standbys for lean times, when there wasn’t a lot in the kitchen, and times when a patient needed to be nursed back to health. It’s very flexible, you can have it warm or cold, with berries or cookies on the side or plain, and it’s at home anytime – dessert, breakfast, or brunch. It easily doubles or halves, and it’s so simple it’s the perfect starter recipe to get kids interested in cooking.

If you change the milk type just know that anything less than whole milk will make your custard a bit watery when it cools down. It will still taste fantastic.

Baked Custard, Basic Method

For each 1-1/2 c. of milk (whole milk is best, but you can use 2%, evaporated, or half and half):

• 1 egg (you can add a second egg if you’d like a firmer texture)
• 1-1/2 t. sugar (white granulated sugar, brown sugar, or maple sugar can all be used)
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• Dash of cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350. Find a baking dish that will hold all your ramekins comfortably. Set them the dish and add warm water until it reaches halfway up the side of the ramekins. Take the ramekins out and put the dish with the water in the oven to heat while you mix up the custard.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl except the cinnamon. Whisk until well-combined. Pour into lightly greased ramekins and sprinkle the top with cinnamon.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until the edges are firm but the center still jiggles slightly. Sometimes it will puff a little in the center and then fall when you take it out to cool.

You can eat them warm or cool. If you’re making the custard ahead of time, let the ramekins cool down a bit. Cover them with plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled.

Either way, I suggest wrapping up in a blanket somewhere warm and savor each creamy bite. It’s always been one of my favorite dishes. It’s what I cooked for my mom last Easter, when she was in the latter stages of brain cancer and couldn’t always communicate what she wanted or needed, and had little appetite. I had to guess, and she ate every bite. On that note, I hope you have some treasured memories of things someone you love cooked for you that you. Until tomorrow!

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