Ben Dearnley
Such a simple dessert, but many people believe a good egg custard is the measure of a truly good chef. This tart is best served the day it is made.
This recipe is from Marco Pierre White’s Great British Feast (Orion, $55, hbk). In editing this recipe for publication we have made minor changes to bring it into Gourmet Traveller style.
Ingredients
Custard
Method
1.Sieve flour and sugar together into a large bowl and slowly rub in butter to form a mixture resembling breadcrumbs. Add egg yolks and continue mixing until dough comes together and is smooth. Shape it into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and leave it to rest in the fridge for 1 hour, or until needed.
2.Meanwhile, to make the custard, beat egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until smooth. Add cream and whisk together, then pass through a fine sieve and set aside until needed.
3.Preheat oven to 180C. Roll out the pastry until quite thin and use it to line a 25cm-diameter, 5cm-deep tart ring. Blind bake tart in oven until pastry is golden and crisp (about 30 minutes). Allow to cool and remove paper and weights. Reduce oven temperature to 120C.
4.Remove any bubbles that have formed on the surface of custard mixture. Pour mixture into tart case and lightly scatter nutmeg over top. Place in oven and cook for 1 hour 25 minutes, or until the custard has set all the way through. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely at room temperature.
5.Using a hot knife, cut tart in quarters, then cut each quarter in half. Dust with a little icing sugar and garnish with mint sprigs, if using.
