Caramelized Baked Custard

Kaarin's Note:

This recipe can easily be made dairy free-I have used soy milk for the milk and it was still delicious and creamy. The custard is baked until firm and has a layer of caramel sauce underneath.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• ¼ cup sugar , caramelized**
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1⁄8; teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups milk , very hot (or regular soy milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1⁄3; cup flaked coconut (optional)
• nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease a 1 quart baking dish or 4 ramekins.
3. Fill a 9x13 pan (or any shallow pan large enough to hold the baking dish) with 1 inch of hot water and set it in the oven.
4. **To caramelize the sugar: Melt the sugar in a heavy bottomed skillet without stirring. Swirl the sugar in the pan as it melts till caramel colored.
5. Pour about 1 tablespoons caramelized sugar into each ramekin, or all into baking dish and quickly swirl around to coat bottom and partly up sides.
6. The caramel will harden, but the custard will soften it as it bakes.
7. Beat the eggs together, then add the sugar and salt.
8. Slowly stir in the hot milk, stirring constantly.
9. Add the vanilla and coconut, if using.
10. Strain into the baking dish (if desired).
11. I usually just pour it all inches.
12. Sprinkle the top with nutmeg.
13. Put into the pan with hot water.
14. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until a knife comes out clean.

Reviews

[Maine E Ack!]

Extra special with the coconut! We loved it!

[ItalianMomof2]

Delicious! I made the recipe exactly as described, although I'm not sure what happened to the sugar. After baking in the ramekins, the custard flipped out easy, but most of the sugar got hardened and stayed on the bottom of the glass. There was still a nice syrupy liquid that poured out all over the custard making it exactly like a flan, so maybe it cooked right. The hard sugar part did come out of the ramekin real easy in the dishwasher. I will definately be making this time and time again! Thanks so much!

[sugarpea]

Dh is the family custard fan and the resident caramel afficionado. He went nuts for this. I used the four ramekins but needed a full 55 minutes to bake it. Skipped the coconut.