CUSTART TART
EGG CUSTART TART
This tart uses an adaptation of a BOURKE STREET BAKERY pate sable recipe that I came across years ago and that I have used time and time again.
It is fool proof, you are creating a delicate & buttery pastry that is still easy to handle. It lends itself to biscuits & tarts alike. It was the perfect choice to sit alongside the delicate flavour of nutmeg & egg in a traditional egg custard tart.
The filling is based on a JULIE JONES recipe. I am very particular about how we represent classic dishes and often to me it involves very little adaptation. There are a lot of recipes out there for custard tart but to me the balance and ratios needed to be just right. Not too much nutmeg to overwhelm the custard, but not too little so that the flavour is too faint and distracting in it’s distance.
The cream to egg ratio is also vital. You want it to set, but you also want it to be creamy and delicate. With a soft cream silkiness and not a hardened jelly like consistency. I think that this one is pretty great!
ADAPTED FROM:
BOURKE STREET BAKERY PATE SABLEE & JULIE JONES ‘NAN MAUD’S CUSTARD TART
SERVES 8–10
Use a loose-bottomed 18 x 4cm (7 x 1½in) circular tin
Preheat the oven to 200ºC for the baking blind. Then 120 ºC(250ºF), Gas Mark ½ – I strongly recommend using an oven thermometer for this, unless you really know your oven.
INGREDIENTS
SWEET PASTRY - PATE SABLEE
500g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1.5 cm cubes (this makes a large quantity that you can freeze for future occasions making future bakes super quick and easy, and delicious!)
10g salt
260g icing sugar, sifted & chilled
80g egg yolks, chilled
665g plain flour, chilled
FOR THE FILLING
170g (6oz) egg yolks
85g (3oz/7 tablespoons) granulated sugar
500ml (17fl oz/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons) double (heavy) cream
fresh nutmeg, for grating
Make the pastry following the recipe.
Remove the butter from the fridge 20 minutes before you start mixing - the butter should be soft but very cold.
Place the butter, icing sugar and salt into the bowl of the electric mixer and pulse in 2 second bursts about ten times until the mixture is pale and creamy. Add the yolks, in two batches, pulsing for 2 seconds after each addition or until fully combined. Add the flour, in three batches, pulsing for 2 seconds after each addition.
Turn out onto a clean surface and gather together. Divide into three even sized portions and shape into round, flat discs about 2 cm thick. Wrap each disc in cling film and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
After resting it in the fridge, grease your tin, line with the party and blind bake. Bake blind with baking beans, or your equivalent, in a hot oven for approximately 12 minutes or until the pastry is a light golden brown. Leave the baked case inside the tin.
Place the egg yolks in a large bowl, and add the sugar to a pan with the cream over a low heat. Allow the sugar to dissolve, then heat very gently until it reaches 37ºC. Pour this over the egg yolks, mix to combine – trying your best not to incorporate too much air – then strain through a sieve into a jug or something that can be easily poured from. This sounds fiddly but it really isn’t too bad.
Position a baking tray in the oven, fairly low down, and remove all the racks above. Place the pastry case onto the baking tray, then pour the custard into the tart shell, filling as close to the top as possible. Grate a blanket of nutmeg over the surface and bake for 40 minutes before checking the wobble. If you think that it needs longer, it probably doesn’t! You will in time trust your instinct, not likely on the first time.. A slight ripple towards the centre is what’s needed.