Egg custard tarts

Ingredients

For the sweet pastry
165g/5¾oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
25g/1oz ground almonds
120g/4¼oz chilled unsalted butter, cubed
55g/2oz caster sugar
1 free-range egg

For the custard filling
700ml/1¼ pint full-fat milk
7 free-range egg yolks
90g/3¼oz caster sugar
freshly ground nutmeg

Method

• To make the pastry, stir the flour and ground almonds together in a large bowl, then add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
• Break in the egg and work it into the mixture with your fingers, bringing it together to form a soft dough.
• Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and shape it into a ball. Flatten with your fingers to a disc and wrap in cling film. Leave to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
• Roll out the sweet pastry on a lightly floured work surface.
• Using an 11cm/4½in fluted cutter, cut out twelve discs and line the muffin tray moulds with the pastry circle. The pastry should overlap the top of the moulds by a few millimetres, so that you can crimp the edges if you wish.
• For the custard filling, warm the milk in a saucepan, and beat the egg yolks and sugar together in a separate bowl until pale and creamy.
• Pour the milk onto the egg yolk mixture and stir well, creating little bubbles.
• Transfer the custard mixture into a pouring jug with a lip, then fill each of the tart cases.
• Sprinkle a small pinch of ground nutmeg into the middle of each tart.
• Bake the tarts in the oven for about 25 minutes - you may need to turn the temperature down to 180C/350F/Gas 4 for the final 10 minutes. You are looking for a very slight dome on the custard, indicating that it is baked. If the custard domes too much this indicates that you have over-cooked the custard, it will have boiled, and will sink back down leaving a big dip. If this does happen you can help rescue it by removing the tarts from the oven immediately and placing the tin in cold water on a cold surface.
• Cool in the tin for 30 minutes and then carefully remove from the moulds. The base of the tarts should be perfectly baked through, without having over-cooked the custard filling.

Recipe Tips
These tarts are best eaten on the day they're made, as the pastry will soften over time.

Chocolate orange tart

Ingredients

For the pastry
100g/3½oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
50g/1¾oz icing sugar
50g/1¾oz butter, diced, plus extra for greasing
1 large free-range egg yolk

For the chocolate filling
75g/2½oz butter
115g/4oz dark chocolate (no more than 60% cocoa solids), finely chopped
115g/4oz golden caster sugar
55g/2oz plain flour
4 medium free-range eggs

For the orange filling
25g/1oz butter
50g/1¾oz white chocolate
1 orange, finely grated zest only
35g/1¼oz golden caster sugar
25g/1oz plain flour
2 medium free-range egg yolks

Method

• Grease a 23cm/9in fluted tart tin with butter.
• For the pastry, measure the flour, icing sugar and butter into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and a tablespoon of cold water and mix until it comes together to form a soft dough.
• Wrap the dough in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200C(180C fan)/400F/Gas 6.
• Dust the work surface with flour then roll out the pastry as thinly as you can to a circle about 5cm/2in larger than your flan tin.
• Line the tin with the pastry. Don’t worry if the pastry breaks a little, it is easy to patch up. Chill for 15 minutes.
• Prick the base of the pastry with a fork, line the pastry case with baking paper or foil and fill with baking beans. Bake the pastry blind for 10 minutes, or until just lightly golden-brown. Remove the paper and beans and return the tart to the oven to cook for a further 5-7 minutes, or until pale golden-brown and the base is cooked.
• To make the chocolate filling, melt the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and flour. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and leave to stand.
• To make the orange filling, melt the butter and white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange zest, sugar and flour. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time and pour the mixture into a jug.
• Place the pastry case on a baking tray. Pour the chocolate mixture into the pastry case. Drizzle or pipe the orange filling over the chocolate filling to create a swirl effect. Draw a cocktail stick through the filling to create a marbled effect.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until just set around the edges, but still slightly wobbly in the centre.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, until warm but not piping hot, then serve.

Portuguese custard tarts

Ingredients

For the sugar syrup
250g/9oz caster sugar
1 cinnamon stick
½ lemon, whole peeled rind only

For the custard filling
25g/1oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
12g cornflour
300ml/10½fl oz milk
4 free-range egg yolks, plus 1 whole free-range egg
vanilla seeds from one vanilla pod
300g/10½oz ready-made all-butter puff pastry

Method

• Preheat the oven to its highest setting, or at least 230C/210C Fan/Gas 8.
• For the sugar syrup, bring the sugar, cinnamon and lemon rind to the boil in a saucepan with 250ml/9fl oz water. Reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering, then simmer for 3 minutes. Set the syrup aside until completely cool. Once cool, discard the cinnamon stick and lemon rind.
• For the custard filling, mix the flours together in a bowl. Pour in a little bit of milk and stir with your finger until combined.
• Bring the remaining milk to the boil in a saucepan over low heat, stirring regularly.
• Gradually add the boiled milk to the flour mixture and whisk for 1 minute, or until smooth and well combined.
• Slowly whisk in the sugar syrup until well combined.
• Whisk in the egg yolks, whole egg and vanilla seeds until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
• Roll out the pastry onto a lightly floured work surface to a rectangle measuring approximately 50x30/20x12in, but more importantly to a thickness of 1mm.
• With the longest edge of the pastry rectangle facing you, roll the pastry as tightly as possible, brushing it from right to left with water as you go. Cut the pastry roll into 2cm/¾in-thick discs.
• Place the discs in the holes of a muffin tin and massage them with a circular motion using a wet thumb, until the pastry rises up the sides of the holes in the tray. Make sure you don’t make any holes in the pastry.
• Fill the pastry cases with the custard until they are almost, but not quite, full.
• Bake the custard tarts in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the pastry has risen and the surface of the custard is scorched. Set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving to allow the custard to set slightly.

Recipe Tips

To glaze the tarts, spray them with a chefs' water-pressure sprayer as soon as they come out of the oven.

Cheat’s chocolate tart

Ingredients

For the pastry
175g/6oz plain flour
40g/1½oz cocoa powder
80g/3oz icing sugar
140g/5oz butter, diced
2 medium free-range egg yolks

For the filling
750g/1lb 10oz milk chocolate
260ml/9½fl oz double cream
120ml/4fl oz amaretto

For the topping
200g/7oz blanched almonds
250g/9oz caster sugar
100g/3½oz dark chocolate, finely grated
75g/2½oz coffee beans

For the coffee cream
1 tbsp freeze-dried coffee granules, dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water
3 tbsp coffee liqueur
200ml/7fl oz double cream
50g/1¾oz caster sugar

Method

• For the pastry, sift the flour, cocoa powder and icing sugar into a bowl. Add the butter and rub together using your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and mix together until it forms a dough. Add a little ice-cold water if the pastry feels dry. Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge to rest for at least an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 170C/340F/Gas 3½.
• When the pastry is rested, lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough into a circle about the thickness of a £1 coin. Lay the pastry over the tart case and gently push down to line, taking care to get the pastry right into the edges. Line the pastry with baking parchment and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Place the tart on a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
• Carefully remove the baking parchment and beans and place the tart back in the oven to cook for a further 10-20 minutes, or until the base looks dry. Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool. Once cooled, trim the pastry to tidy up the edges.
• For the filling, break up the milk chocolate and place into a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Do not let the bowl touch the water. Once melted, remove the bowl from the heat.
• In a pan over a medium heat, bring the double cream and amaretto to the boil. Pour the cream mixture over the melted chocolate, whisking everything together well. Pour this mixture into the cooked tart case and cool to room temperature before placing the tart in the fridge for 30 minutes, or until set.
• For the topping, preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5 and place the almonds on a baking tray. Place in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until they are toasted and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes. Line a tray or plate with baking parchment.
• Put the caster sugar and 50ml/2fl oz water in a pan over a medium heat and cook until the sugar starts to colour. Stir in the almonds and mix until the sugar coats the almonds to give a frosted appearance. Transfer the almonds to the lined tray or plate and leave to cool. Once completely cooled, roughly chop the almonds into pieces.
• For the coffee cream, mix the dissolved coffee granules and coffee liquor to a paste in a large bowl and add the sugar. Pour in the double cream and whisk to firm peaks, being careful not to over-whip it. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge until needed.
• Check that the tart has set. If not, leave it in the fridge for a further 20 minutes. Once set, cover with grated chocolate and sprinkle with the coffee beans and frosted almonds. Serve with the whipped coffee cream.

Recipe Tips

Use the best quality chocolate you can for optimum results.