Picture
 
     Look familiar?  Yup... it's a repeat.  But it's not because I'm getting lazy and haven't been spending time going through my extensive recipe files or stacks of cookbooks and magazines looking for something new to entice me.  It's cold and blustery today.  I'm making breaded chicken cutlets with seared broccoli and roasted fingerling potatoes for dinner tonight.  All of those demand a comforting dessert to finish off the meal, and for me this is it -- made all the more appetizing in vintage turquoise custard cups!
    
Picture

     Unlike Crème Brulée where I insist that egg yolks and heavy cream are used, I take a less critical approach when I bake egg custard in cups.  Altho' it's always tastiest with a high fat content, I use everything from 1% milk to half & half to make this custard, and if I really want to  be decadent, heavy cream.  In the end, the ingredients I use depend on how I feel at the time and what's in the fridge.  This time I made the custard with whole milk.  And if there's any left in the morning, you know what I'll be having for my breakfast.

                 •   •   •   •   •   •   •      •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •
                               OLd faShiOned  CuStaRd
                               recipe from the Woman's Home Companion Cookbook

4 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups of whole milk, scalded
Freshly grated nutmeg
1.  Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
2.  Beat the eggs slightly.  Add the sugar, salt and vanilla; whisking constantly, slowly add the scalded milk.
3.  Strain the mixture into the custard cups (I needed 7 cups);  grate nutmeg over each custard, and place in a pan containing hot water.  The water should cover the cups up to the level of the custard.
4.  Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean.
Picture


TAKE a LOOK:





 


Comments

04/08/2011 12:06pm

this recipe looks fantastic! i am in LOVE with the color of those vintage custard cups... where did you find them?

Reply
04/08/2011 12:28pm

I wouldn't have known these were a repeat, since those fabulous vintage custard cups make them look "new" again!
Fiesta ware?

Reply
Eileen
04/08/2011 12:58pm

Jamie- I used to go to estate sales, antique shops, garage sales, etc., a lot, and I would look for things like this. I rarely go anymore because I feel like there's nothing else I need. I found some great things!

Stacey- They are not Fiesta. No mark. I have no idea what they are. And I once passed up a matching mixing bowl for $13.00. What a mistake!

Reply
04/09/2011 6:52am

Eileen, now that I've made your chocolate pudding recipe about 3, 281 times, I think I'm ready to move on (for the time being) to a new treat. Your custard certainly fits the bill. Fresh local eggs are in abundance.

Since I have not exhausted my quest for stuff I don't need, I believe a visit to our local island thrift store, Granny's Attic, is in order. Custard cups here I come.

Reply
04/09/2011 1:02pm

Yum, these little custard cups look so delish!

Reply
04/10/2011 2:50pm

I love your turquoise custard cups!

Reply
04/10/2011 8:25pm

I would never guess that custard would be easy to make. You make it seem so easy. The cups are gorgeous and remind me of Chinese tea cups. I wonder if tea cups could also be used?

Reply
Eileen
04/11/2011 6:20am

Bunny Eats- You can use any cup that can be put in an oven at 375˚.

Reply
04/29/2011 3:33am

Deep fried pickles at the Minnesota ( MN ) state fair are my annual guilty pleasure. That may sound like it not that good, but with raunch they taste amazing!

Reply
09/13/2011 9:01am

This is the exact recipe I've been using for years (except the sea salt) and it always turns out perfectly. I frequently use some of my antique Rockingham-glazed custard cups because they look so rich and are wonderfully old - custard always feels like something wonderfully old.

Reply
LeAnn Werner
02/15/2012 7:06pm

When you say strain in to cups, do you mean to actually strain with a strainer in to the cups? Thanks!

Reply
Eileen
02/16/2012 6:39am

LeAnn -- Yes. Pouring the custard through a metal, mesh strainer will give you a smoother, finished custard.

Reply
Peggy
06/05/2012 6:44pm

I've been making baked custard for years and it is one of my all time favorite desserts! Yours are just beautiful in those lovely vintage cups!

Reply
Eileen
06/05/2012 6:46pm

Thanks, Peggy!

Reply
06/05/2012 8:16pm

Hi Eileen,
Love your vintage turquoise custard cups! Have you checked by any chance Bauer vintage ringware? You can check it on eBay or Etsy. They look pretty similar to the style of your custard cups! :)
About your recipe, we have an exact recipe in Peru and it's called "Leche Asada" (Baked Milk Custard) in Spanish. It's funny, because today I was craving a "Leche Asada" and I came across your recipe through Pinterest! :)

Reply
07/19/2012 4:08am

i made this today. i don't know what i did wrong... it doesn't look at all like the one in your photos. mine is a bit gooey but non sticky. it's definitely well cooked. however it inflated like a souffle in the oven and when i turned off the heat it just collapsed back in the cups. as for the taste... i can't... it's horrible. it tastes like overcooked eggs. i mixed all the ingredients well and i strained them. do you have any idea what i might've missed? i've been craving this for months and i'm so disappointed in how it turned out.

Reply
Eileen
07/19/2012 4:44am

Ruxi -- I will think about this comment all day and wonder what happened to your custard, but right now all I can think is that it is overcooked. Could your oven be baking hotter than 375˚?

Reply
09/04/2012 7:10pm

ruxi, that has happened to me before while baking custard. It means that you cooked it for too long.

Reply
07/20/2012 3:00am

my mum tried it and ate it all. she said it was good. i think i overcooked it a bit and perhaps it's just the fact that i'm not a good friend of eggs. my oven is the old kind... gas. not electric. so it's possible that i turned the heat on a bit too much. ;) thanks!

Reply
Janny
07/25/2012 4:15am

I'm ready to make these. Do you butter the cups? Thanks!

Reply
Eileen
07/25/2012 4:19am

Janny,

No, I do not butter the custard cups.

ENJOY!

Reply
Sharon
08/17/2012 11:04pm

Does it have to be cow's milk or could I use almond or soy milk? Thank you. your custard looks fantastic.

Reply
Eileen
08/18/2012 5:29am

Sharon -- I would think you could use almond or soy. You've got the eggs that will bind it all together. Please let me know the results!

Reply
Sarah
09/02/2012 6:26pm

These look amazing. They were really easy to mix up and my girls loved helping me. Can't wait until they are done and I can enjoy them. Thanks for the great recipe.

Reply
Robin
09/09/2012 7:54pm

This looked so good and took me back to my childhood. But the only thing is I could get them to bak around the edges right because I didn't want them to to get over cooked.

Reply
Eileen
09/10/2012 5:02am

Robin -- Check the custards at 30 minutes. If they are not set at that point, keep an eye on them and pull them as soon as they are set in the center. I would rather have them jiggle a bit in the center than over-cook them. They do continue to cook a little once pulled from the oven, especially if not removed immediately from the pan of hot water.

Reply
Michelle
09/25/2012 7:30pm

Hello! I am pinning this to make tomorrow. I have heavy cream and 1% milk in the fridge. Could I use any combination of milk/cream as long as it equals 3 cups worth? Thanks! :)

Reply
Eileen
09/26/2012 5:33am

Yes, Michelle, you can use a mixture of 1% and heavy cream. It will be delicious!

Reply
michelle
09/26/2012 6:18am

Thank you so much!

03/18/2013 8:45pm

I just made this custard tonight and it was DELICIOUS!!! Not sure there will be any left by morning. :) This recipe is the same as my grandmother's recipe. Thanks for the reminder of this great comfort recipe. As much as I would have liked to use real cream, I did not have any in the fridge, but whole milk worked perfectly. Next time, I will dig out some of my pretty antique bowls and use them. Your photos are beautiful!

Photos of mine: http://sixpenceandabluemoon.blogspot.com/

Reply
Robin
04/23/2013 1:29pm

I used this recipe today. It tastes amazing!! Just like my mom used to make. Thanks for sharing!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply