Friday, October 22, 2010

Two-egg custard


This is one of my favorite breakfast standbys -- so simple that ANYONE can do it, yet impressive enough for company.

First, you will need a few small (4 oz. for a child, 6-7 oz. for an adult) ramekins. These are small ceramic dishes for cooking custards.

All you have to do is blend together (for a child's 4 oz. custard):
1 egg
1.5 T cream, sour cream, or yogurt
pinch of sea salt

Pour into the buttered ramekin. Sprinkle the top with grated raw milk cheese, and bake at 300 degrees in a double boiler (this is a fancy way of saying you should place the ramekin in an oven-proof dish partially filled with water). In my oven it takes about one hour, and after that time is very smooth and creamy. Be sure to check it starting at around 45 minutes. You want to get it out when it has just set -- insert a sharp knife in the center so you can see. It should still be very soft in the middle, though not liquid. You want to avoid it getting overdone because the egg will become spongy (with holes) and will not taste as good. Oliver definitely prefers a creamier custard that will hold its shape when removed from the dish.

For myself, I double this recipe and also put some fresh thyme leaves on top. (Not for Ollie since they pass right through his digestive system.) You may also place some crumbled bacon or sausage in the bottom of the ramekins before filling with custard.

We usually eat this with sausage or bacon, yogurt with apple butter, beet kvass, and fermented veggies. And yes, everything on this list, with the exception of the bacon, is homemade. :) Considering all the time I spend cooking and making all these healthy delicious foods I should really get to brag a little now and then!

It goes without saying that these should be pastured eggs, and ideally the cream should be raw and from a grass-fed cow. Bon appetit!

2 comments:

  1. Oh, I have been in Heaven reading through your wonderfully comprehensive blog! I do have a question that keeps nagging me as I am reading your recipes for usinf raw dairy but then cooking it....is it really worth the effort to use raw dairy when it is going to be cooked anyway?
    Sincerely,
    R.W.
    Twigogallery@yahoo.com

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  2. Good question...I never buy pasteurized dairy anymore aside from the occasional emergency organic butter or yogurt, or some kind of special imported cheese, so in my opinion it's ALWAYS best to use raw. But yes, it will lose some nutritional value through cooking. However, it's STILL healthier and better for you, even when it's been cooked, than pasteurized dairy that's been cooked!

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