Baked Custard

Better to call this ‘Baked Velvet.’ My father had a fondness for simple, clean and comforting desserts and this was one of his favorites. A warm, baked vanilla custard brings back memories of home for me and I hope they do for you as well.

Ingredients (serves 6):

4 eggs

2 Tablespoons plus 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch of salt

3 cups milk (whole or 2%)

Ground nutmeg or ground cinnamon (I’m a nutmeg girl myself, but you do what feels good to you)
A few berries for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the insides of six (6 ounce) ramekins with cooking spray and put one teaspoon of granulated sugar in each, rolling the ramekins to let the sugar coat the bottom and sides of the ramekins. Place in a 13 by 9 cake pan and set aside.

Heat a kettle full of water until boiling. Set aside, but keep hot.

Warm the milk in a saucepan until it just barely simmers. Remove from heat.

Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl and whisk in the sugar, vanilla and salt until the sugar is dissolved.

Slowly ladle in ½ cup or so of the hot milk into the eggs and whisk until blended. Continue whisking in the milk one ladleful at a time until all the milk is used. This will prevent the eggs from curdling. Pour the mixture into the prepared ramekins. Sprinkle with a little nutmeg or cinnamon.

Put the 13 by 9 pan in the oven and pour the hot water in the bottom of the pan, being careful not to get any in the custard itself. Fill until the water comes up as high as the custard in your cups. Close the oven door and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a knife put in the center of custard comes out clean.

Remove the pan from the oven and the custards from the pan (use oven mitts, they are hot!). Allow to cool on a rack until room temp and serve for a warm treat or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours for a beautiful chilled dessert. Toss a few berries on top for a bright contrast. 

Baked acorn squash with butter, maple syrup and thyme

I needed to do acorn squash the way my mom made it for my dad back in the day. Simply baked, coated with butter, maple syrup, salt and just a wee bit of thyme. This will be one of your favorite comfort foods this fall and winter.

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash

2 teaspoons canola oil

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Sea salt to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Wash the squash and cut it in half lengthwise (through the tip and stem). Also, slice off a tiny slice of the bottom of each half so they don’t wobble on your baking sheet, but don’t cut through to the inside of the squash.

Scoop out the seeds and any loose fibers (save those seeds-you can roast them with canola oil and salt just like pumpkin seeds).

Pour 1 teaspoon of canola oil in the cavity of each squash half. Fold a paper towel in half and rub the oil all over the inside and outside of the squash half. This helps to keep the moisture in the squash.

Place the squash halves (cavity up) on a baking sheet and roast for 1 hour, or until a fork goes into the middle and comes out easily. Remove from the oven and place 1 Tablespoon of butter in the center of each half. Use a fork to run that butter knob all over the cut surfaces. Drizzle the syrup evenly over the squash, sprinkle with thyme leaves and sea salt.

I like to tell people that haven’t eaten squash this way that the skin is edible, but it tastes much more creamy and luscious if they use a spoon to just scoop out the flesh.

Clarified Butter (or Ghee)

Why bother with clarified butter? One, because once the milk solids (the foam and the solids at the bottom of the pan) are removed you have butter with a much higher tolerance for heat—it won’t burn as easily as plain butter. Two, you get this nice clear butter flavor that is just decadent. If you want to toast nuts, seeds, spices, veggies, make curry, make dal, etc. this is what you want to use.

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

Directions:

Place the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium low to medium heat. Just let it melt until it starts to foam-don’t stir. Skim the foam off with a spoon and discard (I use a small bowl for this). Slowly pour the clear butter into a heat proof bowl stopping just before you get to the white milk solids at the bottom of the pan (I like stainless, but whatever—just don’t use plastic or anything that will melt when hot liquid is poured in). Let the butter cool for a few minutes and pour into a glass jar.