The Custard Tart Quest

I love, love, love custard tarts but I'm a bit fussy; pastry too thick, big crunchy bits of nutmeg getting stuck in my teeth or a solid rather than soft, wobbly custard.

My grandma used to take great pride in her custard tarts and I decided a while ago that I would love to try to recreate the masterpieces that she once made.  Unfortunately, I suspect that her good-with-pastry gene went to my sister, who can whip up a quiche with her eyes closed whereas I break out in a cold sweat at the thought.

But I am determined...I will not be beaten...I will stay true to my Northern roots, beat my pastry demons and make a custard tart that would make my grandmother proud!

The traditional method does not require the pastry to be blind baked, but one of my issues is that often the pastry is too thick.  So for my first attempt, to try to avoid this, my pastry was too thin and the custard leaked out.  On my second attempt, I decided to blind bake but the base was too hard and stodgy!

I'm feeling positive about the third time lucky rule, taking deep breaths and getting myself in a zen-like state, I'm feeling the pastry-love.......

I think I've cracked it....soft pastry underneath, crisp pastry around the edges, no leakages and tender, wobbly custard.  I've reverted to tradition and not blind baked the pastry, hopefully I've done my grandma proud x

This is using a 10 inch fluted loose-bottomed flan tin

Ingredients

200g Plain Flour

100g Cold Hard Butter (plus a bit extra for the tin)

1 heaped tbsp Caster Sugar

Cold Water as needed

450ml Whole Milk (you could use cream but milk is more traditional)

3 large eggs

4 tbsp Caster Sugar

Whole Nutmeg for grating

• Thoroughly butter your flan tin making sure you do up the sides.
• Put the flour into a bowl and grate in the cold butter (top tip I picked up during internet-based pastry research), this then needs a quick rub with your fingertips but there will still be slivers of butter.  Mix 1 tablespoon of caster sugar into the flour and butter.
• Tablespoon by tablespoon gradually add the cold water mixing with a fork until it's all coming together in a soft ball of dough.  Wrap the dough in cling film and put in the fridge to rest for about 30 minutes.
• Pre-heat the oven to 175C (fan).  Unwrap the dough and put on a lightly floured surface, flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry out (moving it around to prevent it sticking to the surface) until it's about 3-4mm thick.
• Use the pastry to carefully line your flan tin, pushing it into the edges.  If it tears patch it up thoroughly with a spare bit of pastry from the edge.  Leave an overlap to allow for shrinkage, it can be trimmed off when the tart is cooked.
• In a bowl beat the eggs then dip a pastry brush into this and brush the pastry case to seal.  Add the milk to the bowl of beaten eggs and add the 4 tablespoons of caster sugar.  Mix thoroughly until the sugar is dissolved.
• Pour the custard mixture into the pastry case (it's easier if you put the pastry in the oven first and pour it in with the oven door open) then grate a sprinkling of nutmeg over the top.
• Bake the tart for approximately 35 minutes until the custard has a wobble but no liquid remaining.
• Allow to cool in the tin then carefully remove.  This can be eaten warm or cold.