BROWN SUGAR CUSTARD TART
The oven is back! Here's a spin on a certified classic.
Hello, everyone!
Welcome back to How I Cook+! Our crew of + subsricbers is growing and I’m thrilled to have you here. Thanks so much for the support!
Good news everyone, the oven is back in action!
Next week we’re diving into the savoury Christmas table, but for once, we’re starting with dessert. So, on the menu today is a spin on an egg custard tart. A mean dessert for the holiday season and one that employs a couple of great pastry techniques.
Happy baking.
B x
Oh man, can you beat a perfectly cooked custard tart? There’s a simple pleasure in the combination of luxuriously soft custard and crisp pastry. For me, pulling off a great custard tart is maybe the most satisfying experience available to a baker.
This recipe is based on the bulletproof custard tart from Masterchef’s in-house white walker, Marcus Wareing. I’ve made a few tweaks here and there, but the bones are the same. To be honest, I think most of the custard tarts in kitchens up and down the country are based on his recipe. It works time and time again and Wareing even made it for the Queen. She apparently loved it, if that matters to you.
Why change a recipe fit for the Queen? Because a classic egg custard tart, whilst delicious, is a bit dull. I’ve subbed in an almond pastry recipe that is cooked until pretty dark (Wareing would cry “burnt!”) to add a bitter note to the tart. I also swap out caster sugar for dark muscovado sugar, an unrefined, raw sugar packed with deep caramelised molasses flavour. This transforms the custard from having a dominant flavour of cream and nutmeg to a complex, bitter, sweet almost smoky flavour. It’s crazy good. I top it off with smoked sea salt and serve with a blob of creme fraiche for some acidity.
In its simplest form, making a custard tart is making pastry, rolling it out, blind-baking it (that is, bake it without its filling), filling the case with custard base and baking until just set. Sounds simple, right? It can be a little daunting for first timers, but trust me, if you follow the steps and have a little patience, you’ll be serving slices of custard tart to adoring family and friends, brushing off compliments and feeling like Dominique Ansel. This could even be perfect for your Christmas table…
Pastry
We are not talking about puff pastry here folks, no flakes required. We are after a traditional pâte sucrée or sweet pastry. It should melt in the mouth whilst being crisp, and give a good ‘snap’ when cut with a fork or spoon.