Seasonal Recipe – Custard Tart

Custard Tart             Makes 12 Tarts

Recipes:     Almond pastry, crème brulee, crystallised almonds

Other Ingredients: Icing sugar

You will also need: twelve 8cm diameter by 2mm deep tart moulds

Almond pastry

375g          Unsalted butter

155g          Icing sugar

125g          Eggs

170g          Ground almonds

2g              Salt

500g          Soft flour

1. Sieve all the dry ingredients.
2. Roughly chop the unsalted butter. Place in a machine bowl.
3. Add the icing sugar and beat together until light in texture and in colour.
4. Mix in the ground almonds and salt. Beat in well.
5. Beat the eggs and gradually beat into the mixture.
6. Add the flour, mix in. Ensure the mixture is smooth and a homogeneous mass.
7. Place the pastry onto a floured tray, wrap in cling film and rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour before use.

Crème brulee

250ml        whipping cream

250ml        double cream

1                vanilla pod split lengthways

1g              nutmeg (grated)

120g          egg yolks (about 6 eggs)

100g          caster sugar

1. Put the whipping and double cream in a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the split vanilla pod into the pan. Add the grated nutmeg and bring to the boil.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and caster sugar. Mix until light in colour.
3. Mix the boiled, infused cream into the egg yolk and sugar mixture and mix until the mixture is smooth.
4. Pass the custard through a fine sieve. cover and allow to cool. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to use.

Crystallised Almonds

250g almond batons (lightly roasted)

100g caster sugar

40ml water 

1. Put the almonds in a saucepan and lightly warm on the stove.
2. At the same time, put the sugar and water in another saucepan and cook to 118°C (244°F).
3. Pour the cooked sugar onto the almonds and mix well.
4. Place the pan onto the stove and, stirring continuously, cook over a medium heat until the sugar crystallizes.
5. Remove from the heat, spread and separate out the almonds on a non-stick baking mat. Leave to cool.

Assemble

1. Prepare the almond pastry. Allow to rest for one hour.
2. Next, prepare the crème brulee mixture and prepare the crystallised almonds.
3. Remove the prepared pastry from the fridge, roll out to 3mm thick and line the tartlet cases. Rest for 30 minutes in the fridge.
4. Preheat the oven 180’C. Remove the tartlet cases from the fridge and blind bake them for 12-15, remove the baking beans and return the tarts to the oven for a further 6-8 minutes.
5. Turn the oven temperature down to 140’C
6. Place the crème brulee mixture into a pouring jug and fill each tart. Cook in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until the crème brulee mixture has just set. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
7. To finish, place a cluster of crystallised almonds onto the centre of each tart and dust the edges of each tart with icing sugar.

Best served the same day