Custard

History

This is a plain baked egg custard as recorded by Mary Randolph in 'The Virginia House-Wife' (first published 1824), a book 'considered the first regional American cookbook'. As printed, the method is precise about technique rather than ornament: 'Make a quart of milk quite hot, that it may not whey when baked; let it stand to get cold, and then mix six eggs with it; sweeten it with loaf sugar, and fill the custard cups—put on the covers, and set them in a Dutch oven with water... When the water has boiled ten or fifteen minutes, take out a cup, and if the custard be the consistence of jelly, it is sufficiently done... grate nutmeg on the tops when cold'. The distinctive instructions are heating the milk first so it will not 'whey' (separate) in baking, a covered water-bath in a Dutch oven, and a doneness test by 'the consistence of jelly'; nutmeg appears only as a garnish grated on the cooled tops. The recipes in Randolph's book reflect a melding of traditions, with enslaved Africans and free people of color 'central in introducing her to the foods and flavors that became the core of Southern cuisine'. The record does not document any earlier lineage for the dish, nor any social-status meaning for its ingredients.

Ingredients

• 1 quart milk
• 6 eggs
• loaf sugar
• nutmeg

Instructions

1. Heat a quart of milk until quite hot to prevent it from whey when baked; let it cool completely. Mix six eggs into the cooled milk and sweeten with loaf sugar. Fill custard cups and put on the covers.
2. Set the filled cups in a Dutch oven with water, but not enough water to risk its boiling into the cups. Do not put the top on the oven. When the water has boiled for ten to fifteen minutes, remove one cup and check if the custard has the consistency of jelly—if so, it is sufficiently done.
3. Serve the custards in their cups with the covers on. Place a teaspoon on the dish between each cup. Grate nutmeg on the tops when cold.