Baked Custard

We're getting about 2 1/2 gallons of milk every morning so I'm making cheese 2 or 3 times a week.  We were getting pretty low on hard cheeses after taking a 3 month break from milking the girls.  Yesterday we had 5  gallons of milk that needed to be used.  A neighbor came to get a gallon and a half to bottle feed some of her lambs and a piglet.  I didn't feel like taking the time to make a hard cheese, which takes several hours of my attention, so I decided to make some soft, fresh cheeses.  I made a chevre with chives and parsley and also made some feta since we're eating so many salads these days.  Still, these cheeses only used up 2 gallons of milk.  My sweet tooth got the best of me.  Here's the perfect way to use up some milk and eggs. 

My friend, Liz, served us a baked custard that is delicious.  I love all kinds of puddings and custards but this is one of my favorites now.  She was kind enough to share her recipe with me and gave me permission to share it with you. 

Ingredients
5 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3 cups milk (of course I used whole goat's milk)
1 tsp. vanilla
nutmeg (best to use freshly grated nutmeg but I didn't have any so I used ground)

Preheat oven to 325
Butter a 1 qt. baking dish and place it in a roasting pan which has enough hot water to come halfway up the side of the baking dish.  Place in oven to heat.  Combine eggs and sugar.  Whisk till thick and pale.  Heat the milk to boiling point and slowly add egg mixture, stirring constantly.  Stir in Vanilla.  Pour into baking dish and sprinkle with nutmeg (or add your fresh grated nutmeg when you serve it).  Bake for 45 minutes until set.  custard is set when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Eat all of it in one sitting.  Just kidding.  I could have though.