It’s that time of the year again, the time when the University of Cincinnati Bearcats battle “crosstown” rival Xavier in the Crosstown Shootout.
Four years ago I started what was going to be an annual tradition of highlighting egg dishes in “honor” of rival Eggs-Zavier (I am a Cincinnati grad myself). By the next year, my blog had fallen in my lists of priorities, and as it would happen, we had our worst game as both teams showed a total lack of self-control with a bench clearing brawl. I was happy I had let it slide. The competition was renamed “Crosstown Classic” (because THAT would fix the issue) and moved to a neutral site. This year, the name Shootout returns, and the game also returns to alternating sites, this year at the Shoe.
So in honor to the return of the old moniker, and in hopes that I can start posting again at pFoody, I decided to bring back the Eggs-Zavier week post. And since what is old is new again, I thought I would go with a comfort food. Baked Custard.
There is something about the simple Baked Custard that screams comfort to me. Unfortunately my wife and son do not share my affinity, so I don’t cook it very often. For me it brings back memories of my grandmother’s kitchen. She made this all the time in her Corning Blue Cornflower casserole, with the nutmeg top.
It is also simplicity itself. Eggs, Milk, Sugar, Salt, Vanilla, and Nutmeg. You bake it in a dish sitting in a large dish filled with hot water, so you can make it all fancy by pointing out that you are cooking bain-marie.
Hardware
- 1-1/2 Quart Corning Round Dish. Mine is black, but I do not see that available anymore.
- 13″ x 9″ glass casserole. Though I have been slowly replacing my Pyrex with Marinex, since it is still made with Borosilicate glass.
- Mixing Bowl.
- Boiling Water. No, not an ingredient, part of the “hardware”.
Software
- 4 Eggs
- 2 Cups Milk
- 1/2 Cup Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanila
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- Ground Nutmeg
Process
- Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
- Start boiling water.
- Lightly beat eggs.
- Stir in Milk, Sugar, Vanilla, and salt.
- Pour mixture in round dish.
- Place dish in 13 x 9 pan.
- Sprinkle nutmeg liberally on on top.
- Place 13 x 9 in oven, pour boiling water into 13 x 9 pan.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes.
- Custard is done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool.
Upgrades
This, for me, is a “pantry” desert. There is nothing I do not normally have that this dish requires. Well, I may not always have 4 eggs, but everything else is in the house. There are a number of ways you can upgrade this dish if you plan ahead, or have a better stocked pantry than I do.
- Don’t use ground nutmeg, get a nutmeg and grate it yourself. It really does make a difference.
- Upgrade the milk. I generally use what I have on hand, typically 2% milk. However, if you substitute cream for the milk, it makes a big difference. Once when I had left over whipping cream, I used that, and it was sublime.
So there you have it. A classic comfort food dish to complement the return to old-school shootout this year. Here’s to a well fought battle on the court, and a Bearcat victory.
