Baked Apple Egg Custard

Egg custard dates all the way back to ancient Rome. This ancient dish would have been sweetened with honey and sprinkled with pepper and cinnamon. When a recipe has been handed down that many centuries, and is still going strong, you know that it has to be very good.

Egg custard is also French in origin, and when the milk is switched out with cream, it becomes the base for crème brulee. Egg custard has been a favourite of the British since before the 14th century, where it is commonly used as a pie and tart filling, fit for a king. Custard tarts were served at the coronation banquet for King Henry the IV in 1399. They were also known to be a favourite during the reign of King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I. To make a custard pie, pour the unbaked filling into an unbaked pastry pie shell and bake until a knife inserted comes out clean. If you are making custard pie or tarts, you may like to increase the sugar to 1/2 cup.

A baked egg custard was frequently made by my mother-in-law, as a farm favourite. She baked it in an oval casserole dish, in the oven without the water bath and it always turned out. She often used evaporated milk, because she didn’t have a driver’s licence, so she would buy 2-3 weeks worth of groceries at each excursion that her husband was going to town. When I got married and moved to the farm, I was able to drive her weekly to town to get groceries. It never mattered what kind of milk she used, it always tasted delicious.

Baked custard is usually baked in a hot water bath, because this helps to reduce the temperature and aids in preventing the custard from curdling. Baked custard can be cooked in separated ramekins or in one larger casserole type baking dish. I really love this recipe, and whenever I make it, I always wonder why I don’t make it more often.

Baked Apple Egg Custard

3 cups milk

4 eggs

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups finely chopped apple

A sprinkle of cinnamon (opitional)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Beat all the ingredients except cinnamon together. Pour into a buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon (optional) Place the baking dish(s) in another baking dish filled with hot water half way up the custard baking dish. Bake for 60 – 70 minutes, depending in the size of baking dish. Allow to completely cool before serving, to allow the best of the delicate flavor to come through.