Bacon and Cheese Custards

Ingredients

• 2 large egg whites 
• 3 large eggs 
• 2  garlic cloves minced
• 0.5 cup green onions thinly sliced
• 0.1 teaspoon ground pepper red
• 0.3 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 2 cups milk 2% reduced-fat
• 0.3 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese grated
• 0.3 cup bell pepper red finely chopped
• 0.3 cup swiss cheese shredded reduced-fat
• 4 slices center-cut bacon 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• sauce pan
• oven
• whisk
• ramekin
• roasting pan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 35
2. Cook bacon in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp.
3. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in pan; increase heat to medium-high.
4. Add bell pepper and garlic; saut 3 minutes.
5. Add green onions; saut 1 minute.
6. Remove from heat; stir in crumbled bacon and Swiss cheese. Divide the bacon mixture evenly among 6 (6-ounce) ramekins or custard cups coated with cooking spray.
7. Heat 2 cups milk in a saucepan over medium heat to 180 or until tiny bubbles form around the edge (do not boil).
8. Place Parmigiano-Reggiano and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Gradually add the hot milk to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Divide egg mixture evenly among ramekins.
9. Place the ramekins in a roasting pan, and add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch.
10. Bake at 350 for 32 minutes or until the center barely moves when the ramekin is touched.
11. Remove ramekins from pan; let stand 10 minutes.
12. Serve warm.