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Get-Well Custard

11 reviews
Test Kitchen Approved
Total Time

Prep: 15 min. Bake: 55 min. + chilling

Makes

10 servings

Updated: Sep. 08, 2023
Whenever a friend or relative was ailing, my mother-in-law would bake this fresh custard recipe and take it along when she visited. Because she took folks this special treat so often, our family began calling it get-well custard! —Ruth Van Dyke, Traverse City, Michigan
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Ingredients

  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Ground nutmeg

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a small saucepan, heat milk until bubbles form around sides of pan; remove from heat. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar and salt until blended but not foamy. Slowly stir in hot milk. Stir in vanilla.
  2. Pour egg mixture through a strainer into a 1-1/2-qt. round baking dish; sprinkle with nutmeg. Place round baking dish in a larger baking pan. Place pan on oven rack; add very hot water to pan to within 1/2 in. of top of round baking dish. Bake until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean, 55-60 minutes. Centers will be soft and jiggle even after chilling. Remove baking dish from water bath immediately to a wire rack; cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate until cold.

Custard Recipe Tips

How do you thicken custard?

Custards achieve a thick texture because of the eggs included in the recipe. Thankfully, this recipe has three, so you shouldn't have to fuss with another thickening agent!

What's the difference between pudding and custard?

Custard and pudding are very similar. The main differences are their textures and how they are thickened. Custard's texture is usually much firmer than pudding. Custard achieves that firmer texture because it uses eggs to thicken, whereas pudding uses starch to thicken. Learn more about the difference between pudding and custard.

How should I serve homemade custard?

You can serve homemade custard a number of ways. It's tasty just by itself, but we love serving it with a handful of fresh berries, like in this berries with vanilla custard recipe.

Research contributed by Christina Herbst, Taste of Home Assistant Digital Editor

Nutrition Facts

1/2 cup: 128 calories, 5g fat (2g saturated fat), 84mg cholesterol, 130mg sodium, 15g carbohydrate (15g sugars, 0 fiber), 6g protein.