Simple Baked Custards

naomi — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:48:52 +0000

It is a truth universally acknowledged that my mother is an excellent cook. She is a master with fish. She is a whiz with cauliflower. She used to make us the most beautiful birthday cakes (before we began demanding ice cream cakes from Baskin Robbins, silly children that we were). However, she started her own business when I was still toddling around the house, drawing on the walls. This meant that she often didn’t have time to make dinner, sometimes she didn’t get home until we’d already gone to bed, and I have vague memories of her coming in late and kissing me goodnight.

So our father cooked many of our weeknight meals. Like many fathers, he is excellent with red meat. Sitting here, 3000 miles away, I can picture his hands forming ground beef into hamburgers, kneading in sauce and molding the patties. My dad also makes a superlative omelet. Oftentimes, when it was just he and I at home he would make a large cheese omelet for us to share in a perfectly seasoned cast-iron skillet he and my mom received as a wedding present. The only desert I can ever remember him making (besides scooping ice cream out of a tub) is this custard. He would make it in a large blue bowl with yellow and white stripes, whisking the eggs and mixing in the milk, sugar, and vanilla. My brother and I would fight over who got to sprinkle the cinnamon on top (because that is what siblings do: fight over ridiculously stupid things).

Proust: madelines
Me: this custard

No food evokes more memories than these custards. They are redolent of my childhood.

Baked Custard
Adapted from the Joy of Cooking

The recipe calls for a bain-marie* and I always make one but I honestly can’t remember if my dad ever bothered. I was too preoccupied with making sure I got to the just-cooled custard before my brother to notice.

3 eggs
1/3-1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
cinnamon and/or nutmeg for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt.

Heat the milk on the stove until little bubbles begin to form around the edge.

Slowly whisk the milk into the egg mixture, then whisk in the vanilla.

Pour into five oven-proof custard cups (or some oven-worthy dish) and sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake in a bain-marie for 40-60 minutes. They are done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

*To make a bain-marie you need a baking dish large enough to hold your custard cups, or whatever it is you happen to be using. You want to place a clean dishtowel on the bottom and boil a kettle of water. Place your smaller dish in the larger dish and place the whole shebang in the oven. Then carefully pour the hot water into the larger dish, until it comes about halfway up the sides of the smaller dish.

the honey eater » cinnamon

Simple Baked Custards