BAKED CUSTARD.

1 quart of milk, 6 eggs, sugar, and flavouring to taste.  Heat the milk until nearly boiling, sweeten it with sugar, and add any kind of flavouring.  Whip up the eggs, and mix them carefully with the hot milk.  Pour the custard into a buttered pie-dish, and bake it in a moderately hot oven until set.  If the milk and eggs are mixed cold and then baked the custard goes watery; it is therefore important to bear in mind that the milk should first be heated.  Serve with stewed fruit.

CARAMEL CUSTARD.

1-1/2 pints of milk, 4 eggs, 1 dessertspoonful of sugar, 1/2 lemon and 4 oz. of castor sugar for caramel.  Put the dry castor sugar into an enamelled saucepan and let it melt and turn a rich brown over the fire, stirring all the time.  When the sugar is melted and browned stir into it about 2 tablespoonfuls of hot water, and the juice of 1/2 lemon.  Then pour the caramel into a mould or cake-tin, and let it run all round the sides of the tin.  Meanwhile heat the milk near boiling-point, and add the vanilla and sugar.  Whip up the eggs, stir carefully into them the hot milk, so as not to curdle the eggs.  Then pour the custard into the tin on the caramel and stand the tin in a larger tin with hot water, place it in the oven, and bake in a moderately hot oven for about 20 minutes or until the custard is set.  Allow it to get cold, turn out, and serve.

Caramel cup custard (French).

Make the custard as in the recipe for “Cup Custard.”  Take 4 oz. of castor sugar; put it over a brisk fire in a small enamelled saucepan, keep stirring it until quite melted and a rich brown.  Then cautiously add 2 tablespoonfuls of boiling water, taking care not to be scalded by the spluttering sugar.  Gradually stir the caramel into the hot custard.  Let it cool, and serve in custard glasses.

CUP CUSTARD.

6 whole eggs or 10 yolks of eggs, 1 quart of milk, sugar and vanilla to taste.  Beat the eggs well while the milk is being heated.  Use vanilla pods to flavour—­they are better than the essence, which is alcoholic; split a piece of the pod 3 or 4 inches long, and let it soak in the milk for 1 hour before it is set over the fire, so as to extract the flavour from the vanilla.  Sweeten the milk and let it come nearly to boiling-point.  Carefully stir the milk into the beaten eggs, adding only a little at a time, so as not to curdle the eggs.  When all is mixed, pour the custard into a jug, which should be placed in a saucepanful of boiling water.  Keep stirring the custard with a wooden spoon, and as soon as the custard begins to coat the spoon remove the saucepan from the fire, and continue stirring the custard until it is well thickened.  In doing as here directed there is no risk of the custard curdling, for directly the water ceases to boil it cannot curdle