I've said it before and I'll say it to my very last breath: One of my favorite parts about homesteading is getting about to share and trade such INCREDIBLE goodies with friends and neighbors alike.
When a friend messaged me the other day to ask if I had milk to spare, I was eager to share some of our extra with her. Since being pregnant, the cheesemaking has taken a backseat to the general feeling of constant nausea and wanting to sleep all the time, and thus, we've ended up with quite a surplus of milk (that is, until the pigs arrive next month).
She asked me if I'd like to trade.
Why yes, yes I would.
She had duck and goose eggs to share. Would I like some?
Ummm…. heck yes, I would. Yes, yes please!
A little black market trading in the Fred Meyer parking lot and I was headed home with two gorgeous goose eggs and two beautiful duck eggs. The perfect trade for an extra gallon milk.
Eggs are beautiful. I don't care what anyone else says. It's perfection in shell form.
The duck eggs were quickly scrambled up into an omelet the next morning and were thoroughly enjoyed by all of the Elliotts.
And then.
THEN, I made a goose egg custard.
And fell so deeply in love, I ordered two goslings that day for arrival in Spring. I needed more of these eggs in my life. Forever and always.
If you don't have goose eggs, please note, the recipe will work just the same (though the result may not be quite as rich… because those goose eggs are RICH!). Simply sub in three chicken eggs per goose egg.
Goose Egg Custard
You will need:
– 2 goose eggs
– 4 cups whole milk (no one will judge if you use cream… like I did… ahem)
– 1/2 cup rapadura, honey, or maple syrup
– Teeny pinch sea salt
– 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Step One: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place a large baking sheet in the oven and add hot water into the baking sheet until it is 1″ deep.
Step Two: Scald the milk by heating it in a saucepan on the stove until just simmering. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Step Three: Meanwhile, combine the eggs (one of mine was a double-yolker), rapadura, sea salt, and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
Step Four: Gently drizzle the scalded milk into the egg mixture slowly, slooowwwwllly, SLOWWWLWLLLYYY!!! Add too quickly and you'll end up with a bunch of scrambled goose eggs. Add a few tablespoons of the milk at a time, all the while stirring the mixture with a whisk. Keeping drizzling the milk in, stirring constantly, until all the milk is added.
There we go! Isn't that lovely?
Step Five: Pour into ramekins or your baking dish of choice. Place the ramekins into the hot water filled baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until just set, slightly jiggly, and slightly browned on top.
Step Six: Carefully remove the ramekins from the oven. Eat hot, warm, or cold. No matter what way you eat it, it's delicious! Trust me. I've eaten about six servings over the past 48 hours.
This custard is all about what's right with the world. It's Simple. Unfussy. Unpretentious. And will still knock your taste buds outta the park!
Okay, that was a weird metaphor. But whatever.
The point is that this is delicious. And you should make this. And you should eat it without shame. And you should buy geese to raise so that you will never have to be without goose eggs for the rest of your life. And you should move to England where custard is as popular as ketchup and served alongside practically every dish.
At least, that's what I'm planning on doing.
And Amen.
Naturally-Sweetened Goose Egg Custard
A delicious and simple dessert.
- 2 goose eggs
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup dehydrated whole cane sugar (maple syrup, or honey)
- Teeny pinch sea salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Scald the milk and let cool slightly.
- Combine the goose eggs, dehydrated whole cane sugar, sea salt, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.
- Gently and slowly drizzle the milk into the egg mixture, stirring constantly.
- Pour into baking dish of choice.
- Place the custard in a baking sheet filled with hot water so that the water reaches 1″ up the side of the baking dish.
- Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 40-50 minutes or until just set and slightly jiggly.
For other great meal ideas, no matter what your dietary restrictions, check out the meal planning service I use: Real Plans.
Lindsey Richmond
Love love!! Yay for double yolkers! Lol
Alicia S.
This sounds SO GOOD! About your calorie thingy. It says 1110 calories. Is that for the whole recipe?
I’m not a calorie counter by any means but I like to have a general idea of them!
natasha
just wondering, can you sub in duck eggs instead of goose eggs? or would just chicken eggs be a better sub?
thanks! and i love your blog!!
Shaye Elliott
I am sure you could but I am not sure about the proportions.
Vera
I came in from OhioFarmGirl, and wow! We have goose eggs and I have been giving them to the pigs, mostly because our hens have gone into egg laying overload at the moment, but I am going to reclaim our goose eggs back and have a go at this recipe!
Dawn
Trying this soon. Along with chicken, duck, and turkey eggs we also get two goose eggs a day, almost twenty daily. We sell almost all the chicken eggs and eat the rest. I can’t use up the goose eggs fast enough cause they are so big. This will be a good way to use them up. Do u think I could use coconut milk? I can only tolerate raw milk and the goat is dry.
Moana Meadow
We made ours with coconut milk and it was incredible! Highly recommend cutting the sugar in half at least, and serving with fruit so you can eat it for breakfast 🙂
Quincy Burke
Hi Shaye!
Where do you order your hatchlings from? In reference to these geese you referenced and even your rainbow rangers? I am in the NW as well and want to find a reliable breeder to order from.
Quincy
Lela
Hello Shaye,
I just want to say that your goose egg custard recipe is the best! We have geese that have been laying… what to do with all of those geese eggs? I discovered your recipe and now your custard is in high demand among family and friends… so Thank You for sharing and Thank You for your blog. What a wonderful life we live on our farms. Happy spring to you!
Lela McKee Friel
Best Goose Egg Custard Ever! Big hit in our family and a great way to use up the goose eggs! Thank You!
Lola
Love this as we are overrun with goose eggs at the moment. I am English and live in England. This is not the custard we eat all the time. That is egg yolks and cream basically, not baked. It is a pouring sauce which most people buy ready made. This baked custard was made by my Granny but not many people make it now. Shame!
Laura Palumbo
I am a tired and busy mom of 11 kids who just finally moved (6 months ago) to the country after 8 years of trying to find something that could actually work for us! We (well, hubby more than me!) jumped in feet first! Have learned all about chickens (getting 25 eggs a day now!) and I have learned so much about raw milk from reading your posts that I am so relieved and excited as we get 6 gallons a day from the milking cow we got a week ago! Raw milk is great and can’t wait to figure out butter, ice cream, yogurt, etc! Thank you! We will continue to read and learn from you but tonight, when all are asleep and I am up late reading about goose egg custard, just have to thank you for making me laugh out loud because you are so honest and funny!!! You make me want to order geese, right now, at 1:00 AM!!! And the funny thing is, when we lived in the city, I hated geese!! Who knew?! May God bless you and thanks for sharing! Keep it coming!! Laura
Bonnie
First time goose mom here. Our sweet Tilly started laying in late February. We were giving her goose eggs away and scrambling them for the chickens snd Tilly. I came across your recipe and it is so delicious! Unfortunately she only laid two more snd is done. Making my 2nd batch now! 😍 Thanks for sharing this!
Bonnie @ Wild Coffee homestead In Florida
David Villanueva
I recently made this with heavy whipping cream instead of milk so basically I made creme brûlée and it was amazing! This recipe and your instructions made it so easy. It was the first time I had ever tried anything remotely close to this and I didn’t end up with scrambled eggs (which with my knowledge in the kitchen was a very REAL possibility)! Thank you for such an easy to follow recipe. I can not wait to make this again!
Marian
I’m another goose egg fan from Kent England. I am lucky enough to have found a goose farmer who sells her eggs for £1.20. Waitrose one of our upmarket supermarkets are selling them for £6.95 each. My family loves soft boiled goose eggs with asparagus. I also make a sausage scotch egg and a smoked haddock scotch egg which very popular. We are always sad when the geese stop laying in May/June. But we are in a minority as they are not widely available or popular. I’m going to make your baked custard, as I love a creme brûlée.
Emily
Thanks for this recipe. I have tons of goose eggs at the moment because my young geese are laying but haven’t figured out how to sit on them yet.
I’ve made this with cow milk and soy milk and it turned out well with both, and was highly approved by my French husband whose favourite dessert is flan aux oeufs. I find flan aux oeufs can be quite eggy and this recipe was not that so it gets my approval as well.
Kim
This recipe has become one of my favorite desserts! Have you ever tried to use it as a custard base for icecream? Just wondering how that might work or need to be adapted.
Pamela
This custard is THE BOMB!!!
Thank you for posting it! This is the third year I will be making it — my goose just started giving up the gold for the season. Can’t wait for the first batch!
I have a question… Is there a reason you combine the sugar with the eggs? It made more sense for me to stir the sugar into the hot milk, which helps it to dissolve while cooling the milk faster.
…just curious if there is a reason.
Thanks!
Mark and Janice Jackson
Both retired Army. Bought a old run down small farm in north texas. Had to do a lot of work. But, we are finally enjoying the beauty. We have chickens,ducks,geese. Put in a orchard. we have 1 peach tree that’s full of peaches. We have a pair of geese, they are so funny, They’ve been laying for 2 years. I can’t wait to make that custard recipe. I wish more people would go back to the simple way of life. Oh, planted a large garden, the vegetables taste so much better.
Christa
So I have never had custard nor have I ever made it. Giving this recipe a go when I get off work tonight. Sound so good! Would I be able to use half milk and half heavy whipping cream or would that make it weird?
Cheryl
I had some frozen goose eggs from my own goose and decided to use them to make custard ice cream. I could not believe how creamy the ice cream turned out. I will be making your custard also. My goose is 18 and I never knew how delicious her eggs were.