Baked Honey Custard

Baked Honey Custard

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

Sugar was perennially a scarce, therefore expensive, item on the
American frontier and many families substituted "tree-sweetenin',
bee-sweetenin', and molasses." European settlers introduced honeybees
into the New World, and they soon became indispensable, as the
honey was used in all kinds of desserts.

2 cups milk
1A cup honey
3 eggs
1A teaspoon salt
A dash of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat some water to a boil in a kettle.
In a small saucepan, scald the milk and stir in the honey. In a
bowl, beat the eggs and salt together, then slowly beat in the hot milk,
a little at a time. Pour mixture through a fine-meshed strainer into 6
custard cups, and sprinkle with nutmeg. Set custard cups in a large pan
and fill pan with boiling water to about 1/2 inch of the top rim of the
custard cups. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until a knife inserted in the
center comes out clean. Do not overcook or the custards will become
watery. Remove cups from water immediately, cover, and chill.