Here’s a great British classic. It’s wonderfully simple and simply wonderful.
Makes: One tart (10 – 15 slices depending on size)
Level: Fairly easy – the pastry is a bit fiddly, but quite forgiving and easily “patched up”
Time: 15 – 20 min. to make the pastry then 30 min. cooling time. 10 – 15 min. lining the tart tin. 20 min. blind baking. 10 – 15 min. for the filling, then 25 – 35 min. for baking.
Need: A loose bottomed tart tin with fluted sides, a roll of cling film, baking beans or dried rice for blind baking, bowls, a rolling pin, a cake lifter is useful but not essential, likewise a food processor
Pastry Ingredients
20cm 23cm tart
- 130g 175g plain flour
- tiny small pinch of salt
- 35g 45g icing sugar
- 65g 85g unsalted butter (cold and cubed)
- 1 1* egg yolk (*plus tsp cold water if required)
Pastry method
1. Sift the flour, salt and icing sugar into a large bowl (or into your food processor bowl). Mix together.
2. Add in the cubes of cold butter. Either rub in by hand until breadcrumb consistency or pulse in the food processor.
3. Lay out a sheet of cling film nearby on your work surface. Butter the inside of the baking tin.
4. Add the egg yolk with a small amount of water only if necessary and mix/pulse briefly – until it clumps together.
5. Bring it all together gently by hand until it forms a loose ball then lay onto the cling film.
6. Gather into a flattish circle and place in the fridge for 30 min. Towards the end of this time turn the oven on to 170°C. During this 30 min. period you could make the filling. (see below)
7. After 30 min. fridge time, place the pastry circle on a lightly floured work surface with the cling film on top. Roll out the pastry to about 5 – 7mm thickness.
Tip 1: If you have a loose bottomed baking tin you can use the base to judge the size needed.
Tip 2: If you have a pastry lifter, flour it occasionally and use it to lift and turn the pastry during the rolling process; if not, then a palette knife will suffice.
8. Either roll the pastry round your rolling pin and lift it onto the tin or slide the loose base of the tin under your rolled out pastry, fold in the sides of the pastry and lift it all into the tin.
9. Gently ease the pastry into the side indentations and mend any tears or gaps that occur.
10. Use fresh cling film or foil to line the filled tart tin and add baking beans or uncooked rice then blind bake for 9 – 12 min. Take out the baking beans/rice and return the pastry to the oven for a further 10 – 12 min.
Tip 3: Use plenty of cling film as this will allow you to cover the edges of the pie, otherwise they could burn later.
Tip 4: If you have any egg white available, brush it on the pastry inside before the second bake. This will give extra help to avoid the dreaded “soggy bottom”.
Filling ingredients
20cm 23cm tart
- 2.5 3 eggs
- 375ml 500ml single cream
- 55g 75g caster sugar
- Some grated nutmeg
9. Weigh the cream and sugar into a saucepan then bring almost to the boil, while stirring. Set aside to cool a little.
10. Beat the eggs lightly in another bowl then pour over the cooled cream. Mix gently (to avoid creating air bubbles).
11. Strain the mixture into the pastry case and sprinkle with nutmeg
12. Bake for 25 – 35 minutes depending on size.
I hope you enjoy this lovely tart. If you want to see more similar recipes click here. Two other lovely tarts, both very chocolatey, that you’re sure to love, are my Apple and White Chocolate Tart and my Chocolate Prune and Orange Tart. Definitely worth a look!
And here are a few of my other bakes to try:
Coffee and Walnut Millionaires Shortbread
Blueberry & White Chocolate Buttermilk Scones
Focaccia con Mozzarella,pomodoro e aglio
Have a look at my site for lots of other recipes, sweet and savoury. If you’d like to comment or ask a question that would be great, just go to the contact page. Or return to the home page.
