When it comes to comfort foods, custard ranks fairly high on the list. Vanilla is the first flavor that probably comes to mind, but you can create other delicious flavors with these relatively simple custard recipes.
Simple Vanilla Custard
There's nothing "plain" about delicious vanilla custard. This recipe fills four to six custard cups.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Ground nutmeg for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, scald the milk (heat it to the boiling point) and then let it cool to about 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a medium-size bowl, beat the eggs and stir in the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Mix until well incorporated.
- Stir 2 tablespoons of the scalded milk into the egg mixture to temper it, and then slowly pour in the rest of the milk stirring until blended.
- Pour the mixture into small custard cups, sprinkle with the nutmeg, and set the cups in a baking pan filled with about 1-inch of hot water.
- Bake for 40 minutes until just set. Custard should still jiggle slightly in the center.
- Remove the cups from the pan and let them cool for about 15 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.
Easy Chocolate Custard
Creamy chocolate goodness is waiting for you with this recipe which fills four to six custard cups.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup milk chocolate chips
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a heavy saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate chips with the milk.
- In a medium-size bowl, beat the eggs slightly and add in the sugar, vanilla, and salt.
- Spoon the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture while stirring slowly until completely combined.
- Pour the mix into custard cups and place the cups in a pan of standing hot water and bake for 40 minutes or until just set.
- Remove from the oven, take the cups out of the pan and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
- May be served warm or served after chilling in the fridge for 2 hours. Whipped cream makes a nice topping.
Coffee Custard
This recipe produces a mellow coffee-flavored custard that's difficult to resist. It yields about six servings.
Ingredients
- 2½ cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons ground coffee
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Measure the coffee into a medium-size bowl.
- In a heavy saucepan, bring the milk to a boil and then pour it over the ground coffee. Let it stand for 5 minutes.
- Strain the mixture through a fine cheesecloth back into the saucepan.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together.
- Slowly stir the milk and coffee mixture into the eggs, followed by the vanilla extract.
- Pour the custard mixture into a buttered 1½-quart baking dish.
- Set the dish in a larger baking pan partially filled with boiling water.
- Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes until the custard is just set.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes and then serve warm. Alternatively, put the custard in the fridge after the initial cooling and chill thoroughly before scooping into cups and serving.
Strawberry Rhubarb Custard
In this recipe, the custard mix is spooned over the strawberries and rhubarb in the bottom of the cups before baking. It yields about four servings.
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups sugar
- ½ cup flour
- 1 cup fresh rhubarb, diced small
- 1½ cups fresh strawberries, sliced
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon almond extract (may substitute vanilla extract)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, rhubarb, and strawberries.
- Pour the mixture into custard cups.
- In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, and almond extract. Spoon over the fruit mixture.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 25 minutes until the custard is just set.
- Let cool before serving. Top with a little whipped cream and extra strawberry slices if desired.
Storing Your Custard
Custard can be kept refrigerated for about three days. Before storing, cover the top of your containers with plastic wrap, allowing the wrap to rest gently on the surface of the custard to keep it from forming a skin.
Custard for All
With four flavors to choose from, there's bound to be an easy-to-make custard here that will suit anyone's taste. Once you've tried a few of these recipes, you'll probably enjoy making this dessert over and over again.
