Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup Gouda, smoked if possible, grated
2 eggs, whisked
A few good grinds of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray six, four-ounce ramekins and set aside.  In a small saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until it just simmers.  Add the cheese and stir over low heat until the cheese has melted.  Pour 1 inch of very hot water into a roasting pan large enough to accommodate the ramekins, place it on a baking sheet, and set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs together, add the milk mixture, season, and then stir until thoroughly combined.  Fill each ramekin ¾ full with the custard mixture.  Bake in the prepared roasting pan until a toothpick inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean, approximately 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven, and place on a wire rack.  Turn oven to broil.

For the Topping
Ingredients:
1 cup Panko, Japanese bread crumbs or homemade bread crumbs  
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon powdered cumin
1 teaspoon chopped parsley

To serve:
In a medium bowl, mix the topping ingredients together and spoon at least a teaspoon of the mixture on each baked custard.  Place all of the custards on a sheet pan, and broil until the crumbs are nicely browned, less than a minute.  Watch carefully to keep them from burning.  Serve immediately.