Vanilla Bean Custard is such a refined and elegant dessert, but it also is one of the most foolproof! You can flavor it up in a multitude of ways and it is a great finish to any meal. I went with a simple, straightforward version of this sweet treat, making it with fresh vanilla bean. This custard is based on the great recipe from “Nourishing Traditions” , except I’ve made it creamier and added a punch with the fresh vanilla bean!
These custard cups are tasty and packed with nutrient-dense egg yolks. They are rich, creamy, slightly sweet, and have the most satisfying, smooth finish. You can easily impress your family and friends with this dish, and they won’t even know how easy it is to make!
Easy Vanilla Bean Custard
The Players
3/4 cup whole milk
1 – 1/4 cup heavy cream
5 pastured egg yolks
1/4 cup raw honey (where to buy honey)
1 fresh organic vanilla bean pod (where to buy vanilla bean)
5 organic strawberries, sliced
The How-To
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small sauce pan, gently warm the whole milk and cream together until small wisps of steam start rising from the top – when this happens, remove from heat.
2. In a medium-size glass bowl, whisk together the honey and egg yolks until well-combined. Then slowly start ladling in the warmed egg and cream mixture, whisking constantly until the egg yolks, honey, and milk/cream are well-combined.
3. Split the vanilla bean pod in half, and using a sharp knife, scrape out the vanilla bean seeds. Whisk the seeds into the custard base.
4. Ladle the custard mixture into six small ramekins that have been placed into a large baking dish. Place the baking dish into the preheated oven and pour hot water around the ramekins until the water level reaches about 3/4 of the way up the ramekins.
5. Bake in the oven up to one hour, checking them after 40 minutes. Cook until a sharp knife inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and remove from pan of hot water. Allow to cool and chill in the fridge for at least one hour before serving. Top with sliced strawberries.
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Read about Bento about 1year ago in a magazine and lucky for me I found you while reading about Peru and Monsanto. Trying to lose weight and a stainless box like this might be perfect for my day.
Hey! Thanks looks amazing! Just wanted to check 1 – 1/4 cup heavy cream means 1 cup AND a 1/4? Thanks!
HI Jenna!
You are correct, it is 1 and 1/4 cups. 🙂
I misread the amount of cream; definitely a bit egg heavy that way, but still good.
This looks delicious & a perfect use for some of the raw milk & cream that I have. Because my milk can be so very creamy, I often let the cream rise to the top of the bottle, ladle some off into a container & freeze it. The thawed, frozen cream can be used for anything except making whipped cream.
I do have a question: do you have any tips for making this using just one container instead of ramekins?
Hi Cate!
I have never made it in a large container but I think it would follow the same format. You would need to place it in a water bath and check doneness with a knife. It might take longer in the oven but I think it would come out just fine. 🙂
Hope this helps!
Katie
YUM I love custard. Gotta Print this. Thank You
This looks delicious and is going on my list for the week. Steel lunch bots WOoT
How well do these keep in the fridge? Many baked custards “weep” if they sit more than a day or so, but since I live alone and don’t have anyone to share food with, I’d need it to hold up for at least a few days. 🙂 I love vanilla custard enough I could probably polish off the whole recipe in two sittings – add a little fruit on the side and call it supper LOL – but That Would Be Bad. (I did the math to scale it down to a two-egg recipe but you know how hairy that can get!)
Good Morning Mari,
These keep pretty well in the fridge, they weep only if you take spoonful out of it through out the day (which I did), but they keep great when left untouched, refrigerated, and eaten in full.
I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Katie
Will this work with coconut milk and coconut cream? Thanks!
Can you sub the milk and cream? We are dairy free. Thanks
I just made this and used mason jars instead of ramekins and then you can easily cover them when they are in the fridge.