After bringing home this recipe from an Eat Local Potluck, Stephanie Alexandre modified it to use her farm’s milk and chicken eggs, backyard lemons, and local honey. “When we had a group of 14 for lunch, I baked the custard in the little milk sample jars that dairy farmers used to use,” she says. Any ovenproof custard cups or canning jars will work just as well.

INGREDIENTS FOR 6-8 SERVINGS

2 cups Alexandre Family Farm A2/A2 Organic 4% Whole Milk 
¼ to ½ cup local honey (to taste)
A pinch of salt
4 Large Alexandre Kids Organic Pasture-Raised Eggs
1 teaspoon grated Meyer lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon grated nutmeg

METHOD

Scald the milk in a saucepan over low to medium heat, stirring frequently. Do not let it boil. 

While the milk is heating, prepare a water bath by placing the empty jars in a single layer in a Dutch oven or deep roasting pan. Add water to the deep pan (not the jars - keep them empty) until the water covers about 3/4 of the outside of the jars. Remove the jars. Place the deep pan in the oven and set it to 325°F.

Once the milk is scalded (when small bubbles start appearing around the walls of the saucepan), remove the milk from the heat and stir in the honey and salt.

While the mixture cools, beat the eggs in a bowl. Going slowly to avoid curdling the milk, beat 1 tablespoon of the warm milk mixture at a time into the eggs. When all of the mixture is combined, then beat in the grated lemon rind, vanilla extract, and nutmeg.

Pour the mixture into the custard cups, dividing evenly. Safely remove the deep pan from the hot oven. Place the filled custard cups into the hot water-filled deep pan and return it to the oven. Bake for 1 to 1¼ hours, or until custard is firm at the edges and almost firm in the center. Remove and let cool.

Serve with whipped cream and berries or fruit of choice, and ENJOY!