Baked Strawberry Vanilla Custard

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled, divided
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream Label: cream, with no gums or carrageenan
• 2 tbsp allulose Label: allulose, and nothing else
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 6 large eggs, at room temperature
• a pinch of fine sea salt
• 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 tbsp butter, softened, for the cups

Instructions

1. Heat the oven and set up the bath: Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and put a kettle of water on to boil. Rub the inside of four 10-ounce ramekins or custard cups with the butter and set them in a baking dish large enough to hold them with a little space between each one.
2. Dice the first berries: Dice half the strawberries into small pieces, pat them dry with a paper towel, and divide them among the cups. Drying them keeps their juice from pooling under the custard, and small pieces sink in evenly instead of floating up.
3. Steep the vanilla: Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into a saucepan and drop in the pod. Add the milk, cream, and allulose and warm them over medium heat, stirring, until the allulose dissolves and the milk is steaming with small bubbles at the edge, about 4 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let the vanilla steep for 10 minutes, then lift out the pod. Warm milk pulls far more flavor from the bean than cold milk does.
4. Temper the eggs: Whisk the eggs and salt in a large bowl just until the whites and yolks are blended, without whipping in air. Pour the warm milk into the eggs in a thin stream, whisking the whole time. Adding it slowly raises the temperature of the eggs a little at a time, so they blend into the milk smoothly instead of setting in streaks.
5. Strain: Pour the custard through a fine sieve into a large measuring cup or pitcher, then skim off any foam on top. The sieve catches the thick strands of white, and skimming the foam keeps the tops of the custards smooth.
6. Bake in the water bath: Pour the custard over the strawberries in the cups, filling each one to about 1/4 inch from the rim. Set the baking dish on the oven rack and carefully pour hot water from the kettle into the dish until it comes halfway up the sides of the cups. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, starting to check at 35, until the edges are set and the centers wobble like gelatin when you nudge a cup. A thermometer in the center should read about 170°F (77°C).
7. Toast the almonds: While the custards bake, toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan often, for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Tip them onto a plate so they stop cooking.
8. Cool and top: Lift the cups out of the water with tongs or an oven mitt and let them cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes, which lets the centers finish setting. Slice the remaining strawberries, toss them with the lemon zest, and spoon them over the custards with the almonds. Serve warm, or refrigerate the custards for at least 2 hours and serve them cold.