The Hungry Canary

Adapted from Ideals Family Cookbook · Mabel White Epling

Grandmother’s Baked Custard

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Ingredients

  • 4 eggs, slightly beaten
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 cups scalded milk
  • Ground nutmeg, for sprinkling (called for in directions; amount unspecified)

Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Scald milk by heating it until steaming and just below a boil.
  2. Mix the slightly beaten eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla until the sugar is mostly dissolved and no longer gritty.
  3. Gradually add the hot milk to the egg mixture while stirring gently so the eggs do not scramble.
  4. Pour into a baking dish. Set that dish in a larger pan and add hot water to the outer pan to make a water bath. Sprinkle nutmeg over the custard.
  5. Bake at 325°F for approximately 35–40 minutes, until the custard is set with a slight jiggle at its center. The original suggests a knife inserted near the center should come out clean. Avoid overbaking.
  6. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold.

Cookbook source

“Grandmother’s Baked Custard,” contributed by Mabel White Epling to the Ideals Family Cookbook. The original lists four slightly beaten eggs, half a cup sugar, quarter teaspoon salt, one-and-a-half teaspoons vanilla, and three cups scalded milk. Stir the eggs with sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth, gradually mix in scalded milk, pour into a baking dish set in hot water, sprinkle nutmeg over the top, and bake at 325°F for 35–40 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

Kitchen notes

Nutmeg: This garnish appears in the directions but is not measured in the ingredient list; sprinkle lightly to taste. Scalded milk: Heat until steaming but not actively boiling. Water bath: A surrounding pan of hot water helps the egg custard bake gently and evenly.

Adaptation note

The original contains no wheat flour or onions, so no substitutions are required. The cookbook does not specify serving yield or baking dish size.