Recipe(tried): Perfect Baked Custard (Farm Journal recipe with notes from Gramaj

I agree with Jeanne/FL. The richer the milk, the better the custard. skim, 1%, or 2% makes a more watery custard. Here's the recipe I use and my suggestions:

PERFECT BAKED CUSTARD

6 eggs (I use extra large eggs)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups whole milk, warmed (I use 3 cups whole milk and 1 cup half & half)
2 teaspoons vanilla
Ground nutmeg (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine eggs, sugar and salt in mixing bowl. Beat just enough to blend together. Add warm milk slowly and mix well. Stir in vanilla.

Strain. Pour into 9 custard cups set in (9x13-inch) pan. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Pour hot water around the custard cups.

Bake for 30 minutes. Set cups out on rack to cool. Refrigerate.

NOTES:
- I warm the milk in microwave to about baby milk temperature.
- Be sure to strain the custard through a fine strainer before baking. You'll be surprised to see how much stringy whites there are. Straining makes a much smoother custard.
- Because I use very large eggs, mine makes 9 very full 4 ounce cups of custard.
- I always sprinkle with nutmeg because we like the flavor.
- Pouring the hot water around the cups seems to even out the cooking. Even though the recipe calls for 30 minutes, I set my timer for 25 minutes and usually take them out then, lifting from the water bath and cooling on racks before refrigerating. Time before last that I made custard I took them out at 25 minutes and worried that they weren't quite done. They were perfect! Last time I let them go the extra few minutes and they were watery.

Hope this is of some help.

Adapted from source: Farm Journal's Country Cookbook