baked vanilla custards with poached spiced apples, Oatmeal, & the Oh Hellos

Hello, friend.

This past Wednesday night, a group of friends and I went to the Canopy Club, a local music venue, to see the band The Oh Hellos. I wasn’t familiar with the band’s work before the show, so I didn’t quite know what to expect. I knew they had a folk, alternative vibe with a bit of bluegrass mixed in, but that was the extent of my knowledge. As we entered the theatre, the speaker’s blared loud pop music and the stage glowed a soft ocean blue from the spotlights . The ceiling seemed to stretch on forever in the darkness above. The theatre was packed with flannel wearing 20-somethings, all drinking fancy sounding beers and cocktails. I knew I was with my people.

I went in an unsure spectator but came out an avid fan. I now can’t stop listening to them. They have been on repeat on my Spotify ever since the concert. They’re seriously amazing. I think what I found most inspiring was the way each member of the band connected with the music. From the haunting oohs of the "Prelude" to the ending cords of "I Have Made Mistakes", there seemed to be a kinetic energy that surged from the stage into the crowd. Each member played a precisely integral part to the overall sound of the music, and that sound was electric. The space felt so intimate. I felt more like they were playing at a backyard BBQ rather than in a dark music club, the band just made the crowd feel so comfortable and connective. 

Oh Hellos, if you ever find yourselves reading this, thank you for showing me that when true passion is found, beautiful things are sure to follow. 

Pasta party for two. Spent this past Tuesday afternoon making sauces with my friend Emily

Which brings me to oatmeal. That’s right, oatmeal. A quintessential staple of early morning breakfast. As I’ve written about before, I’m not the biggest fan of breakfast foods for breakfast (I know I’m weird) but I find myself inexplicitly surprised about the amount of breakfast/brunch based recipes I have made on the blog. From pancakes, French toast, to even cinnamon rolls, I seem to have a complicated relationship with breakfast foods. 

On a sunny weekday morning last week, I decided to be adventurous and make some stovetop oatmeal. It was my first time making it before. It was a big day for me. I added oats and water to a saucepan, cooked it over medium heat, and voila! Oatmeal was made. How easy! I had an apple sitting in my fridge and decided to chop it up, poach it in a spiced liquid of apple cider vinegar, honey, and cinnamon, and spoon it some over the top of my oatmeal. I was feeling rather pleased with myself. My oatmeal game was strong. But I had one predicament, after my shoot I had no oatmeal left, but a lot of poached apples.

This is where the custards come in. Originally, I was going to make mini-cheesecakes and add the 

apples on top, but I forgot to pick cream cheese up when I went grocery shopping. Ugh! I had it on the list and everything. I managed to walk out of the store, get all the way home, and unload the entire car of groceries to realize I forgot the cream cheese. This was truly a first world problems if i ever saw one. Dealing with my emotional lack of cream cheese, I tried to think of a recipe I could make with the ingredients I had on hand. Then, one answer became blatantly clear…baked vanilla custards. My first time attempting the custards, I under cooked it and the custard came out eggy and chunky. No one likes chunky custard (but wouldn’t that be a great band name?). But attempt number two deemed successful, so I was happy once more. 

It's really the simple things in life my friend. 

Baked vanilla custards with poached spiced apple topping 

Ingredients

Poached Spiced Apples – makes 2 cups

1 apple, cored and cubed

1 cup water

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon lemon juice

Pinch of salt

2 teaspoon white sugar

1-2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

Baked Vanilla Custards – makes 6

3 large eggs

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Dash of salt

2 ½ cups warm milk (120° - 130° F)

Ground nutmeg

Directions

For the baked vanilla custards. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, add the eggs and beat slightly. Whisk in the vanilla, sugar, and salt. . In a small saucepan set over medium heat, warm the milk to a temperature between 120 F and 130 F. Remove from heat and add to the egg mixture, whisking gradually.

Divide the mixture into six 6-ounce ramekins or heatproof container. Place ramekins in 13x9-inch pan on oven racks. Pour very hot water (I used very warm tap water) into the pan until the water covers half way of the ramekins. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove ramekins from water. Allow to cool for 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for six hours before serving. Serve with poached apples and spiced sauce.

For the Poached Spiced Apples. In a medium size saucepan, add the apples, water, apple cider vinegar, honey, cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, lemon juice, and salt, stir to combine. Cook over medium heat until the apples are fork tender, about 15 to 25 minutes. Take off the heat and pour mixture through a strainer with a pot underneath to catch the poaching liquid. Store the apples in an airtight container.

For the Cinnamon Spiced Sauce. Pour the poaching liquid strained of apples into a medium-size saucepan and cook over medium to high heat. In a small bowl, stir together the water and cornstarch until a smooth paste is formed. Stir paste into the water and cook until sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Adjust flavors by adding cinnamon and honey. Take off the heat and allow to cool before storing in an airtight container.

{Click here for the printable recipe}