Baked egg custard is the little black dress of the dessert recipes set—it’s simple, elegant, and can be dressed up with fresh berries, chocolate sauce, or whipped cream. It’s also astoundingly good all on its own. Custard, in various forms, has been made for centuries: set into creme brûlée, flan, mini egg custard tarts, or a savory quiche; frozen into ice cream; soaked into bread pudding; poured into myriad egg custard pies; or serving as a creamy custard filling for éclairs and other pastries.

　　This recipe for individual custard cups keeps things very simple: no pie crust, no nonsense. We like to pour the custard mixture into ramekins, but coffee cups marked as oven-safe will also do. You’ll set the cups in a baking dish in order to cook them gently in a hot water bath. When they’re done, the custards should be mostly set, but still have a little wobble in the centers.

　　Be sure to start this recipe a couple of hours before serving so the custard can cool down. It can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days and it’s even better the afternoon after you've made it.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 6 servings

　　2 cups whole milk

　　2 large eggs (preferably free-range)

　　2 large egg yolks

　　⅓ cup sugar

　　1 teaspoon vanilla extract

　　Freshly grated or ground nutmeg

　　

Step 1

Preheat oven to 300°F. Place six 4-ounce ovenproof cups (you can use ramekins or coffee cups marked as oven-safe) in a deep baking pan just large enough to hold them.

　　

Step 2

In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a simmer over medium-low heat.

　　

Step 3

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugar, and vanilla. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg mixture, whisking gently to combine. Pour the mixture through a fine strainer into the cups (if the strainer clogs, use a spoon to scrape it clean), then sprinkle lightly with the nutmeg.

　　

Step 4

Pour hot (not boiling) water into the pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cups. Bake until the custard is just set (it can still be a little loose), 30 to 35 minutes. Let the custard cool in the water bath for about 2 hours before serving.

　　Editor's note: This recipe was originally printed in the March/April 2007 issue of ‘Cookie’ and first appeared on Epicurious in July 2007. Head this way for more of our best Christmas desserts →