British Custard Tart
Ingredients
- Shortcrust: 225 g flour, 50 g icing sugar, pinch of salt, 150 g cold butter, 1-2 egg yolks, cold water
- Custard: 300 ml double cream, 200 ml whole milk, 4 eggs, 75 g caster sugar, vanilla extract, whole nutmeg for grating
A staple of British baking since at least the Middle Ages, the custard tart is simplicity itself: a crisp shortcrust shell filled with a smooth, barely-sweet egg custard flavored with vanilla and dusted with freshly grated nutmeg before baking. It's baked at a moderate heat until just set, keeping the custard silky rather than curdled.
Method
Rub the cold butter into the flour, icing sugar and salt until it resembles fine breadcrumbs, then bind with egg yolk and a little cold water into a dough; chill for 30 minutes.
Roll out and line a tart tin; blind bake until pale golden and fully cooked.
Heat the cream, milk and vanilla until warm but not boiling.
Whisk the eggs and sugar together, then slowly whisk in the warm cream mixture.
Strain the custard and pour it into the baked tart shell.
Grate fresh nutmeg generously over the surface.
Bake at a low temperature, around 150°C (300°F), for 30-35 minutes, until just set with a slight wobble in the center.
Cool before slicing.
