Pastured Egg Custard with Vanilla Bean

This custard is proof that healing foods can also be deeply comforting. Made with just a handful of nourishing ingredients—pastured eggs, full-fat milk or homemade nut milk, raw honey, and real vanilla bean—it's gently baked in a water bath to create a silky, tender texture without any grains, refined sugar, or starches. The low, slow cooking method preserves the delicate proteins and nutrients in the eggs while coaxing out a rich, custardy set that's easy on a healing digestive system. On the GAPS diet, pastured eggs are a cornerstone food, prized for their easily absorbed nutrients and gentle effect on digestion. Paired with raw honey (used sparingly for natural sweetness) and the warm floral notes of real vanilla bean, this dessert feels indulgent while staying fully within GAPS Full Diet guidelines. It's an excellent way to use nutrient-dense eggs in a form that even sensitive stomachs tend to tolerate well. Serve the custard warm or chilled, on its own or topped with a few soft-cooked seasonal berries. It makes a soothing after-dinner treat, a gentle breakfast, or a nourishing snack for anyone—child or adult—working through the stages of gut healing.</long_description> <parameter name="meta_description">Creamy GAPS-friendly baked custard with pastured eggs, honey, and vanilla bean. A gut-nourishing, grain-free dessert that's simple and elegant.

Ingredients

• 4 largePastured eggs
• 2 cupsWhole milk or homemade almond milk, use full-fat; fermented/soured dairy once tolerated per GAPS stage
• 3 tablespoonsRaw honey
• 1 wholeVanilla bean, split and scraped
• 0.125 teaspoonsea salt
• pinchground nutmeg, optional, for topping

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Arrange four ramekins inside a large baking dish.
2. Pour the milk into a small saucepan. Scrape in the vanilla bean seeds and add the empty pod. Warm over low heat until steaming but not boiling, then remove from heat and let steep for 5 minutes. 5:00
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the honey and sea salt until smooth and well combined.
4. Remove the vanilla pod from the warm milk. Slowly pour the milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly to temper the eggs without scrambling them.
5. Strain the custard mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher or bowl for an extra silky texture.
6. Divide the custard evenly among the ramekins. Carefully pour hot water into the baking dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins, creating a water bath.
7. Bake until the custards are set around the edges but still slightly jiggly in the center, about 35-40 minutes. 37:30
8. Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath and let cool on the counter for 15 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving, if desired chilled. 60:00
9. Serve warm or chilled, with an optional light dusting of ground nutmeg on top.