A few days ago it finally cooled down a bit, so I decided to use the oven; I don’t like to turn it on when it’s hot and humid, for obvious reasons. At the beginning of the week, I came across a recipe for baked custard, which sounded delicious – so much so that my mind wouldn’t let go of it! I knew I had to make it.
It is a very simple recipe with minimal ingredients – whole milk, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m cutting out pretty much all refined sugars but partaking in a small amount of unrefined sweetener, and this recipe is a dream in that respect because it calls for only 1/4 cup of maple syrup. Split into 6 servings, this amount of sugar is well within tolerable limits.
It took about 5 minutes to measure and mix everything together, and about 50 minutes to bake it in the oven. I also chose to use ramekins instead of a larger single container in order to manage reasonable portion sizes. Plus it took less time to cook in ramekins than it would have in a larger dish.
The custard sets up beautifully, I must say. It developed a little bit of a skin on top, but I like it that way. You could probably put tinfoil on top of the ramekins if custard skin is unappealing. The texture of the custard itself is delicate and creamy, and the flavor is wonderfully milky and barely sweet.
I tried the custard in both warm and cold versions, and by far I prefer this custard chilled. This allows for the flavors to merge and set, and to me the flavor is more satisfying. However, some people do like these custards warm, so my statement really reveals simply a personal preference.
Although this custard is delicious on its own, I think it would be good topped with macerated fruit. I look forward to using it as a base for strawberries especially. CSA strawberries are just around the corner!
For the full recipe for the baked custard, you can find it on the Real Food Houston site. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
