Posted by This dish shows that even if you are eating a very restricted diet, it is possible to make a desert that is visually appealing visually and texturally interesting. Oh, and it tastes great too!
This baked egg custard was my first attempt at modifying a recipe to make it completely plant-free (i.e. the exact opposite of vegan) and it turned out brilliantly!
Ingredients ‘Baked Egg Carnivore Custard’
Makes 4 x large (100g) servings
- Milk 450ml (1 pint) – use cow, goat or sheep’s milk
- Single or double cream (optional: replace up to half of the milk with cream for higher fat or keto diet)
- 3 medium eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 rasher of crispy bacon, crumbled (for the topping)
- 1 – 3 tsp honey (optional)
Pre-prep: Topping
1. If you want the topping – and it does look very nice doesn’t it? – cook some bacon ahead of time. You want to get it as crisp as you can without burning it, so that it is easy to crumble.
I broke mine up by hand into a mortar then used the tip of a spoon to break the pieces up further. I found that using a pestle did not work because the crushing action made the bacon pieces stick together.
Main Recipe
2. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF,gas mark 4).
3. Beat your eggs lightly in a bowl.
4. In a pan, heat the milk and optionally cream and honey if you want it until it is close to boiling, then pour the mixture over the beaten egg, stirring continuously.
5. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a 600ml (1 pint) oven-proof dish. This removes any lumps making the finished dish smoother.
6. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes at 180ºC (350ºF,gas mark 4).
7. Take out of the oven. It should have started to set at the top but will be wobbly as the centre. This is a good time to adjust the temperature of the oven. If it has starting to burn you may want to turn it down to 120ºC
8. Now the top is firm you can sprinkle the crumbled bacon over the top.
9. Return to the oven and bake for a further 20-40 minutes until cooked through.
10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool
Results
I made two: one with cow milk and cream (above left) and a larger one with goat milk and cream (above right).
The goat’s milk one went in the oven first and browned up more, but it isn’t actually burned; It has formed a skin a bit like rice pudding!
Here it is served for desert. You can add cream or eat it naked. It has a very nice texture and a clean, creamy flavour. I’m impressed that it tastes so good even without vanilla. The bacon adds a nice textural contrast and a hint of saltiness without ever seeming out of place.
Tip: I have found that the bacon gets softer over time, which is OK, but it was nicer when it was still crisp. So it might be better to skip step 8 and add the bacon just before serving, or let people add their own at the table.
Macronutrients per serving*
(recipe above makes 4 large servings)
Version #1 P: 9g C: 6.5g F: 8g E: 134 kCal
Version #2 P: 6g C: 3.5g F: 19g E: 210 kCal
* Version #1: Recipe as above, using 3:1 full-fat milk to single cream and 2 tsp honey
* Version #2: Recipe as above, but using half and half full-fat milk to double cream and 1 tsp honey
