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THE ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD old-fashioned custard

4/8/2011

41 Comments

 
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     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!
    
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     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.
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41 Comments
jamie loop link
4/8/2011 05:06:59 am

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

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Stacey Snacks link
4/8/2011 05:28:25 am

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

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Eileen
4/8/2011 05:58:14 am

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!

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Petra link
3/15/2014 10:14:58 am

Eileen, what is scalded milk?

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Eileen
3/15/2014 02:41:02 pm

Hello Petra -- scalded milk is when you heat it in a saucepan on the cook top just before a boil. It is hot and there is movement in the liquid, but hasn't started boiled.

Tom @ Tall Clover link
4/8/2011 11:52:22 pm

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.

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Suzanne link
4/9/2011 06:02:02 am

Yum, these little custard cups look so delish!

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Jenn@eatcakefordinner link
4/10/2011 07:50:14 am

I love your turquoise custard cups!

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Bunny Eats Design link
4/10/2011 01:25:06 pm

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?

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Eileen
4/10/2011 11:20:15 pm

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

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John link
4/28/2011 08:33:54 pm

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!

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Dani deHart link
9/13/2011 02:01:46 am

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.

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LeAnn Werner
2/15/2012 11:06:39 am

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

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Eileen
2/15/2012 10:39:36 pm

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

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Peggy
6/5/2012 11:44:03 am

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!

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Eileen
6/5/2012 11:46:31 am

Thanks, Peggy!

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Susy link
6/5/2012 01:16:08 pm

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! :)

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ruxi link
7/18/2012 09:08:57 pm

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.

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Eileen
7/18/2012 09:44:41 pm

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˚?

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Priya link
9/4/2012 12:10:11 pm

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

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ruxi link
7/19/2012 08:00:02 pm

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!

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Janny
7/24/2012 09:15:23 pm

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

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Eileen
7/24/2012 09:19:37 pm

Janny,

No, I do not butter the custard cups.

ENJOY!

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Sharon
8/17/2012 04:04:48 pm

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

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Eileen
8/17/2012 10:29:24 pm

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!

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Sarah
9/2/2012 11:26:52 am

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.

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Robin
9/9/2012 12:54:54 pm

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.

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Eileen
9/9/2012 10:02:46 pm

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.

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Michelle
9/25/2012 12:30:55 pm

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! :)

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Eileen
9/25/2012 10:33:13 pm

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

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michelle
9/25/2012 11:18:26 pm

Thank you so much!

Debra link
3/18/2013 01:45:54 pm

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/

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Robin
4/23/2013 06:29:19 am

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

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mary beth
7/6/2013 02:46:55 pm

looks easy. i'm afrraid i'll want to cook it too much.! reaally lookss ood.

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Maria Mongillo
7/7/2013 06:03:04 am

OMG...This looks like my Grandmothers!
I have never seen another recipe that has the custard cooked. Usually always a top of stove recipe.
I have to look at her recipe. This is absolutely amazing~BEST ever!
Thanks for sharing!!

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Nette
7/11/2013 04:06:27 am

I have to agree with Maria! This is precisely just like my grandmother's recipe and the craving I have now will have to be fulfilled tonight - LOL!

We always used an about 2 qt Pyrex dish and just made a "whole" custard, dipping individual portions. Never thought about using the custard cups, but my hubby will be so glad I now have a use for those custard cups I just HAD to have - LOL!

Can't wait and thanks to you, Eileen, and Pinterest!

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Jean McKay
7/11/2013 05:49:31 am

What is your chocolate pudding recipe? Would like to have it. Thanks

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Eileen
7/11/2013 07:08:14 am

Jean -- the chocolate pudding recipe I always make (and also use in my chocolate pudding tart) is on LivingTastfully's Passions-to-Pastry. Just put chocolate pudding in the search box and it will come up. I LOVE that recipe!

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Colleen
7/11/2013 11:05:30 am

I wonder if you have ever seen a rice pudding that, after it cooks, has a custard on the top with the rice pudding on the bottom? My grandmother used to make this but no one knows where the recipe is.... Your custard sounds as good as what grandm made. Thanks,

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Eileen
7/11/2013 12:42:18 pm

Colleen -- I'm sorry to say, I am not familiar with that rice pudding. It sounds wonderful!

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Colleen
7/11/2013 01:11:00 pm

I am going to make your custard as that was the best part. Thanks for your reply!




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