Today an old family recipe worth cherishing, and the latest instalment on life at my farm.
This baked custard recipe was my grandmother’s, although my grandfather liked to boast that he perfected it! It always reminds me of the love and care he had for my grandmother – he was never a man to be in the kitchen but as my grandmother’s eyesight failed and her health deteriorated he would cook this custard for her every week. And I have to admit he did a fine job of it too.
So what’s with the free kitten? I have some in my possession. I’ve been nursing them since yesterday when my husband found them, abandoned by their young feral mother in an overturned cattle trough down by the shed.
So on this frosty farm morning I find myself nursing four tiny feral, hissy-spittie kitties.
Later today I will take them to a cat shelter, not far from here, and kind foster mothers will nurse the kittens until they are old enough to live in the shelter, and be adopted out as rescue pets.
We have a box in the shed with emergency mothering supplies. There is calf formula for baby cows (works on puppies and kittens in a pinch too if watered down), bird mix for baby birds, bird mix for injured adult birds, a mix for wallabies and kangaroos, wombat mix (only ever used that once but the tin is good for two more years!) and an assortment of bottles, droppers, gloves and sacks (for wrapping babies in). Who said I am no soft touch?
This baked custard is equally good for mothering – other people or yourself. It is warm, rich in protein, and easy to eat and digest. True comfort food with its silky texture and gentle flavours. I would have eaten some for breakfast, but somehow in the middle of the night the remainder has disappeared. Those kittens must be able to raid the fridge!
Easy Baked Custard Recipe
Ingredients: 4 eggs, 2 and 1/2 cups milk, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, butter for greasing dish, nutmeg. (If you need this recipe to be sugar free it works just fine with an equivalent amount of natural sugar substitute – I use Natvia and it tastes brilliant!)
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 130c (250f or slow oven) if fanforced or 150c (300f – and still slowish oven) if not.
- Grease a four cup capacity dish, and find a baking tray large enough for it to sit within.
- Beat eggs and sugar together with a whisk or fork until sugar is dissolved. Add milk and vanilla and mix through.
- Pour mixture into the greased dish.
- Grate or sprinkle nutmeg over the top of the custard. (I am a firm lover of fresh nutmeg – once you’ve tried it you’ll never go back to the packaged stuff!)
- Fill baking tray with cold water so that it comes halfway up the side of the custard dish.
- Place carefully into oven and bake for 40 to 60 minutes or until set. Custard will be firm under your touch, although it may still be a bit wobbly in the middle. It will firm more as it cools.
Note: Oven temperatures vary widely. You need to cook this slowly to be rewarded with a thick, well set dish. If it is cooked at too high a temperature you will have lots of bubbles in your custard and a lot of whey (clearish looking fluid). Unless you have used low temperatures in your oven before, you need to check your custard after thirty minutes. After thirty minutes, if the custard has not picked up some colour and begun to set, your oven is too slow and you will need to adjust the temperature up a little. When I cook this at my farm in my Falcon Oven which is fan-forced electric, it takes 40 minutes to bake my custard. When I cook this dish in the city, my old gas oven takes 60 minutes.
Serve warm or cold. Goes very well with stewed fruits, baked apples and pastries. I am reliably informed that it is also tasty with jelly. Warning – may be stolen by kittens!
Spitty hissy is a cute way to put it. Sadly I couldnt adopt either of the feral cats I found. I hope the council doesnt put them down. Kittens are more likely to be adopted if feral/ wild.
It needs more sugar. If it weren’t for the nutmeg it would have no flavor at all but the texture is spot on
Thanks for sharing this recipe. It’s cooking in the oven at the moment. It took 5 minutes to collect the ingredients and get it in the oven. That’s my kind of recipe!
I have my own business and cook all day then come home & cook some more. I had some apple & blueberry muffins left over today so they will be dessert tonight and wanted custard but didn’t want to stand at the stove stirring for half an hour.
Thanks again. I hope the kittens found a good home. I like the ginger one.
Made the baked custard last night. So easy and brought back so many wonderful memories about mums cooking .. Thanks for sharing ..p.s. good luck with the precious little kittens :).
Oh God…i wanna hug the kitty’s tight!I LOVE kittens, i have raised dozens of stray ones, and my mom used to almost curse me at times,when she got out of the kitchen and their they were waiting for food.They almost came under her feet and almost tripped her over….
Hummm……this means they are extra sweet now (after an attack on your custard) and i can have the kittens for dinner instead (NOT LITERALLY,but they are so adorable!), by the way i was having custard just now when i read your post, it’s funny though because i don’t have a sweet tooth but do care for chocolates and ice-creams.Hugs to you and my custard cutiepies…..
{{{HUGS}}} right back to you! 🙂
I love the kitties!! One of my cats was a feral that was similarly rescued and fostered. He’s a bit of a handful, but we love him. I’ll try the custard; is that another name for pudding?
Custard is simply a cooked mixture of eggs and milk – sweet or savoury. But this one also qualifies as a pudding! (hope that didn’t confuse you…) xx
OMG Nicole, those kitties are so sweet!!!!!I so want a cat, but since my son has asthma, doctors said we’re not allowed!
They are beautiful, naughty and now, already very much loved. Love to you and your son xoxo
Oh my god, warm custard and kittens. It’s a VERY good thing that I haven’t found any kittens (knock on wood) because I would be completely unable to give any of them up! I may have to try this recipe — after how wonderful your banana cake was, I trust you to satisfy my sweet tooth once again!
Babies like baked custard too! And kittens steal it from refrigerators – so I can guarantee its goodness. 😀 Bless xx
Mmmm, baked custard….yummmm
Would you like a kitten with that? ♥♥♥
No thanks, I’m allergic to cats. I was impressed with you rescuing those four little hissy spitty things.
I hope they were too, custard thieves! LOL xx
those hissy spotty kitties are presh! but your doggies are too cute for words. i love them both!
Thanks Darla. And we know you are a doggie lover after reading your gorgeous blog. BTW peoples, Darla has a gorgeous blog. Go visit! xx
EL SMOOCHO your face!
😀
don’t know what looks more yummy-the custard or the kitties!! 😀 Thanks as well for liking my recent post “The Freedom to do Nothing!”
with love light and JOY
I think they each have their own charms. Have been really enjoying your blog, Jane! 🙂 Much love to you ♥ xx
glad to know you are still around. I’ve kind of taken a “vacation” and thoroughly enjoying it, but once I get back will have lots of things to share. 😀
I look forward to that! 🙂
Hi! Thanks for your kindness to take care of the kitten. May you be blessed for your kindness! With metta!
Thank you, lijuin. I know you would have taken care of kittens if you’d found them. You have such a compassionate heart. Bless xx
Aw, now I want a kitten! I am touched by both of these stories of loving caretaking. It’s good work to tend lovingly to other living things. I love knowing about your kit–can’t wait to see the photos next time you rescue a baby wombat. 🙂
Baby wombats are the bomb! Not many about at our new farm, but we have koalas, platypus and echidnas here, so I’m not complaining.
It does make you feel good to love and caretake other things. I think that energy is hardwired into us – that desire to help and be of service.
Much love to you
xx
Ummmm! Food for the soul! The photos make me want me to try to make the custard soon. The recipes and the photos are priceless. Thank you for them.
I hope you try the custard. It’s so easy to make, and totally delicious. Bless xx
Tried your custard and its a tad too good…my husband ate it nearly all t one sitting!
Thank you for the easy recipe.
Yes, husbands are known for that… 🙂 Glad you both enjoyed it xx
That custard looks like the best comfort food ever. I bet it is just amazing warm. Thanks for sharing, Nicole. Recipes that are handed down are the best.
Especially ones that have been tweaked to perfection by grandfathers 🙂
It is terrific served warm. 🙂 I so heart this recipe. Best comfort food ever.
It looks really wonderful. I’m not surprised that the kittens got to it!
mmmmm…I love custard…I’ll give your recipe a try…and the kitties are so precious….here’s something a bit “funny”….yesterday, in an email to a friend from reflections, I mentioned that, at times, I feel a bit like a wandering, stray kitten…and that I’m thankful for the kindness of others….I’ve never had that image of “myself” before…but, it seems you do help out actual stray or wandering kittens… : ) …and so you help people versions, too… : )
😀 I guess that’s true! {{{HUGS}}} Kindness is the best medicine, for humans and animals. xx
The blue eyes of the grey kitten! – amazing!
This kitten has such a sweet nature too – the least spitty-hissy of all of them.
I love custard and will definitely try your recipe out! Good luck with the kitties…I’d keep the orange one…I’m partial to orange cats :))
The orange one reminds me of a wild little tiger – all snarl and attitude. When he’s awake, of course… LOL 🙂
I’ve only ever made custard with egg yolks, not whole eggs, so this is purely for my clarification. Are they definitely whole eggs used?
Good luck with the kitties! 🙂
xox
Yep, whole eggs – who has time to muck around with egg separation? xx