Singed pine custard tart
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Loading... - Nancy Kruss
- 18 Dec 2020
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I like to call this “making the most of your Christmas tree tart”. Make sure you bake the pastry enough as no one likes a soggy bottom, and also be sure to take the tart out of the oven while the filling still has a lovely wobble to it, as the residual heat will finish the cooking process.
Make sure the pine twigs you use are from an edible variety of pine.
Serves 12-16
For the pastry
soft light brown sugar 20g
caster sugar 160g
unsalted butter 250g
egg yolks 4, plus 1 extra to seal
strong white bread flour 450g
fine sea salt a pinch
For the filling
pine twigs 8 x 10cm, trimmed from your tree or someone else’s (please ask first)
double cream 900ml
egg yolks 9
caster sugar 100g
salt a pinch
whole nutmeg 1, for grating
pine pollen 2 tsp, for dusting
For the pastry, place the light brown sugar, caster sugar and butter in a bowl and cream together till white and fluffy.
Add the 4 egg yolks one at a time, incorporating slowly to prevent curdling, then add the sifted flour and salt and mix until combined together.
Roll the dough into a ball and flatten a little. Wrap in baking paper or clingfilm and place in the fridge for 5-6 hours, but ideally overnight.
Take the dough out of the fridge and allow to soften. Butter and flour a 30cm tart case that’s at least 3-4cm deep.
Roll out your dough on a floured surface to 3mm thickness. Line your case with the dough, being sure to press it right into the edges. Chill for 2-3 hours in the fridge (again, ideally overnight), or 45 minutes in the freezer.
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.
Take the tart case straight from the fridge or freezer, cover it with baking paper, then fill with baking beans and place into the oven. Bake for 18 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 10-12 minutes or until golden brown all over. (Do not under-bake the tart case as you will miss out on the moment when your spoon goes through the tart and you get to the pastry and then ... crunch!)
Remove the tart case from the oven and brush with a beaten egg yolk (this is to seal any holes or cracks in the case). Still in its tin, place on a cooling rack and leave the pastry to cool completely. Turn the oven down to 120C/gas mark ½.
While your pastry is cooling, make the filling. Place the pine twigs on a metal tray and use a blowtorch to singe the twigs (or do this under a grill). Place them in a saucepan with the double cream and bring slowly to the boil to infuse the cream with the pine.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together for just a minute. Pour the boiling pine cream over the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. Pass through a fine sieve, and really push down on the pine to extract as much flavour as possible.
Pour the warm custard mix into the blind-baked tart case, then grate half of the nutmeg on top (do not use ready-ground nutmeg) and dust the pine pollen evenly over the nutmeg.
Place carefully in the oven – don’t spill any filling down the sides of the pastry (or you will have soggy pastry).
Bake for about 20 minutes, and then carefully turn the tart around and bake for a further 6-8 minutes, or until there is only a small wobble in the centre.
Take out of the oven and place on a rack to cool. Leave in the tin until cooled completely.
This is best eaten the day it’s made, and at its absolute finest eaten within 2 hours of cooling. But it’s also lovely cold, for breakfast on Boxing Day.
