Nourishing egg custard - two recipes in one!
Hey everyone!
I created this recipe a little bit by accident. If you follow me on Instagram (@wildheartsnutrition) you will see that I like to try include lots of fats in Harry’s diet because they’re important for development, they’re filling, and it means he asks for packaged snacks less often. I know when he has a diet rich in healthy fats that he is being nourished! On the days when he goes to nursery, I like to make this even more of a priority because generally the snacks offered there are carb-heavy and I worry he won’t feel full! I know this is a concern many of you experience and so what I’d say is when you’re at home or considering preparing snacks, try to always include a source of fat - things like avocado, coconut products, full-fat plain/greek yoghurt, nuts, seeds, chickpeas, butter, olive oil, fatty fish - these are all great for babies and toddlers and most are very versatile so the options are endless.
When I dropped Harry at nursery today and handed him over with his snack pot (I am the mum who sends him in with extra snacks even though they offer them!) the lovely lady who took him for a cuddle knows the kind of snacks I send him in with. Today was olives, blueberries and cheese. She said that her children went to the same nursery and she sent them in with snacks and sometimes she gave them things like olive, cheese and chorizo. The childcare workers always asked where the bottle of wine was :)) ! This made me smile!
Anyway, I wanted to make an egg custard as it’s full of fats and I accidentally made enough mixture to have a little leftover, which I decided to use for eggy bread. So, I got extra bang for my buck!
custard eggy bread - the finished product - scroll down for the recipe!
BAKED EGG CUSTARD
You’ll need:
equipment
deep rectangular tin (to use as a bain-marie)
6-hole silicone cupcake/muffin tray (you can use a mini muffin tray or even silicone gummy moulds but bear in mind you’ll have to adjust the cooking time downwards to take this into account)
food ingredients
1 whole large egg
3 large egg yolks
200ml double cream
200ml whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract (without added alcohol) or even better if you have it, a vanilla pod. If the latter, scoop the insides out and discard the pod.
optional: sweetener of choice. I had maple syrup so used 1tbsp of this - but especially for younger babies this isn’t necessary.
a pinch of good quality salt
half a teaspoon of mixed spice or cinnamon
remember to get your toddler involved!
〰️
remember to get your toddler involved! 〰️
Method:
preheat your oven to 170 degrees (fan)
whisk the egg and yolks together and set aside
mix the double cream and milk together, add the vanilla and sweetener if using, and the cinnamon/mixed spice
add the eggs to the cream/milk mixture and whisk thoroughly to combine - you don’t want random streaks of egg in there.
pour the custard mixture into the silicone cupcake moulds until they are almost full. You want a bit of mixture left in the bowl once you have filled all the moulds so keep this in mind!
set aside the mixing bowl with the little bit of custard mix in it
place the silicone tray into your large rectangular oven dish and then carefully pour water into the dish so the water line is about 3/4 of the way up the silicone cake moulds. This water will heat up and cook the custard.
when the oven is heated, slide the rectangular tray onto the middle shelf, being careful that the water doesn’t spill over into the silicone cupcake mould.
bake for 30-35 minutes - you want the custards to have a slight wobble to them. My oven sucks so yours might be done quicker!
leave to cool so that you can remove the silicone tray and then empty the water. If you try to empty the water whilst it is all still hot, you will probably end up inadvertently pouring water into the custards!
serve with a main meal or as a snack. They are delicious with fruit. Alternatively, you can place one of them on top of a bowl of porridge and stir it in when hot for extra nutrients!
CUSTARD EGGY BREAD
you’ll need:
equipment
frying pan
food ingredients
good quality sourdough (or other bread of choice) - I used 3 slices, but it depends how much mixture you’ve got left.
leftover custard mix
fat for frying - butter, coconut oil or ghee
method:
place the slices of bread into the custard mix. You can do this one at a time and then transfer to a plate, or throw them all in together and mix them around one by one to coat each side thoroughly in the custard mix
heat your butter or oil in the frying pan over a medium heat until it is bubbling gently
take each fully coated (and slightly soggy) slice of bread and place them in the frying pan. If there is space, you can do them all together - if not, just do one after another but you might want to add slightly more butter or oil if it is absorbed in the process.
they should only take a minute or two to cook on each side.
serve with fresh berries and seeds of choice or a drizzle of nut butter over the top - a great main meal for any time of the day. You can also offer sliced up as a snack. Bear in mind that if the crust of the bread is tough you might want to remove or adapt for younger babies and toddlers.
Hope you enjoy this double recipe for baked egg custard and please let me know if you try it out! Issy x
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”