The Great English Custard Tart
I thought I would include this gorgeous tart in the Seasonal Celebration Skills section, because it not only is a totally delicious Summer dessert, but it also uses the same custard making skills as were covered in both the ice cream and trifle posts, so you are already a pro. And also, I get to talk about my favourite food once again, its a win-win for all of us.
The English Custard Tart is best eaten cold as the finale to a Summer dinner party event or else an al fresco BBQ. It is a light and Summery dessert and can be served with whipped cream and coffees, or else with liquors and fancy chocolates for a perfect end to a special Summer celebration.
The best type of dish to make your custard tart in is a removable base, carbon steel or stainless steel, fluted flan dish. It is even better if you can purchase a deep flan dish, ideally 5.5cm (2inches) depth and 25cm (9.5inches) diameter. But the most important feature is the removable base, because a custard tart is not an easy customer to transfer from tin to serving plate and if you want it all in one piece, then a removable base is the way to go.
Recipe
The Sweet short crust Pastry
Ok, we've done all of this before in the Foundation Kitchen Skills section. Just in case you are too lazy to look back or are tempted to buy a pre-made pastry case, I have copied the sweet short crust pastry recipe and method for you here, so there are no excuses. Plus this dessert can be made well in advance of your celebration and left covered in the fridge.
Maybe I am being a bit stern and nagging. Sometimes shop bought pastry is a necessity and we've all been there done that. So go with your situation, available time and also your enjoyment, life's too short to worry about details that don't suit you at the time.
Basic Sweet Short Crust pastry recipe.
250g Plain four
120g Unsalted butter - take this out of the fridge a couple of hours before starting, so that it is softer and easier to use.
75g Icing sugar
3 Egg yolks ( see post on egg separation )
20g Water
These quantites will vary with each size of pastry case that a recipe asks for, but in general, the amount of fat is always half that of the flour.
Method:
Sift the flour and icing sugar into a large mixing bowl. That sounds easy, but we also have to hold the sieve as high as possible above the bowl to allow the maximum amount of air into the flour. So I hope that your aim is good.
Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour.
Now start to mix the fat into the flour.
With this step, there are a couple of important points to apply. (Honestly, doesn't it feel like learning to drive, lets hope one day it will all just come naturally.)
Here we go:
Always be gentle with pastry and handle a little as possible, even if you've been holding frozen peas. Just use your finger tips to rub in the fat and hold your hands high to allow maximum air into the mixture.
Perhaps think of it as an air loving, heat hating, sensitive little blob, that will reward your loving care by eventually transforming into a masterpiece of pastry perfection.
When the mixture is crumbly (and there are no butter lumps), add the egg yolks one at a time.
Use a mixing spoon to mix well and bring the mixture together.
Add small amounts of the water as needed to get the right consistency, too much and it will be a heavy pastry and too little and it will be cracked and hard to bring together. ( I told you it was like learning to drive )
You will know when it is ready, because it will come away from the mixing bowl cleanly with no cracks in the pastry ball. (This stage of the mixing process is best done with your hands)
Wrap the pastry ball in cling film to stop a crust forming and place in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.
Heck, I know its delicate and sensitive, but after all of the care we have shown it, shouldn't it be us having a rest, not the pastry.
Roll out the pastry using a long rolling pin on a lightly floured, flat surface. Also dust the rolling pin with flour, never the pastry itself, we don't want to dry our delicate friend out even more.
It is not necessary to turn the pastry over while rolling, and always revolve the pastry rather than the rolling pin to achieve the tin shape you want .
To transfer the rolled out pastry to the tin, place the rolling pin at one end of the pastry and lightly roll the pastry around the pin. Then lift it and hold it over the tin as you unroll.
Press into position firmly to make sure that there is no air trapped underneath. This will avoid ballooning up of air bubbles as it is cooked, that way you won't have to use all the paraphernalia of gadgets when you move to the next baking blind stage.
Remember not to over stretch the pastry in the tin. It is better to overlap the edge of the tin rather than pull the pastry to fit. Stretching the pastry can cause shrinkage when cooking.
Baking Blind - this means baking the pastry case on its own for a short while before you add the filling. Bake the pastry case at 175C Fan for 20 to 25 minutes (this may vary slightly with each oven, so aim to cook until evenly golden in colour).
Many people use baking beans on top of the pastry to stop it ballooning up with air bubbles as it is cooked. But if you have pressed it down firmly enough when placing in the tin, this shouldn't be necessary, though using a fork to prick the pastry base all over is an added precaution. After you have half baked your tart case, and before you add the filling, it is a good idea to brush the pastry base with a beaten egg, then carry on cooking until the case is golden in colour. This helps keep the tart case crisp, even when you eventually add the filling. Also remember that if any air bubbles appear in the first 10 minutes, just prick with a fork and press back down.
For the Custard Filling
Recipe
300mls full fat milk
200mls double cream
1 large eggs
3 large yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
80g (3oz) fine caster sugar
1 tsp ground nutmeg or 1 whole grated nutmeg
Method
Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer
Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar with a hand or electric whisk in a pyrex jug or bowl
Pour the hot milk/cream over the egg and sugar mixture, then add the vanilla extract and half of the nutmeg. Whisk briefly again
Pour the whole custard mixture into the pastry tart case and sprinkle the rest of the nutmeg over the surface. A little tip from Chef Chahna is to place a flat baking tray underneath the custard tart dish to help keep your oven clean if there are any custard spillages as you place it in the oven
Bake in the oven at 180C (160C fan/350F) for 40 minutes, or until the custard filling is just set in the middle
Once cool, transfer your beautiful Summery pudding onto a pretty serving plate, cover and cool in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
So now you have 4 recipes for Summer gatherings. You can also make some fresh chocolate brownies and serve with whipped cream (see foundation posts). But honestly, I don't think people eat as much in the Summer, they are either too hot and sweaty or else on a diet in order to look as good as they can on the beach. So don't make it hard on yourself. Simple, light desserts are all that is required in the Summer season, and all of the desserts we have covered in this category can be reproduced, with a few tweeks, in the colder celebration seasons.
That is why Winter and Autumn are the prime time for delicious desserts.
Enjoy your Summer, it is always full of wonderful colours, smells and also (if you're lucky) a decent holiday too . xxx
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