Custard Nutmeg Tart Recipes

SINFUL CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• Position 1 oven rack in the bottom of the oven and 1 in the middle. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Unroll pie crust and place in a 9-inch pie plate, crimping the edge.
• Bake pie crust on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
• While the crust is baking, combine eggs and sugar in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Add half-and-half, milk, rum, and salt; mix on low until incorporated. Mix nutmeg and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
• Remove crust from the oven and brush with egg white; bake for another 5 minutes.
• Remove crust from the oven; increase temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Carefully pour filling into the pie crust. Sprinkle with spice mixture.
• Bake on the bottom rack of the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Move the pie to the middle rack and bake until the middle of the pie is almost set, about 25 minutes. Place on a cooling rack; it will continue to cook after it's taken out of the oven.

OLD-FASHIONED BAKED EGG CUSTARD TART WITH NUTMEG

Steps:

• To make the pastry, first of all sift the flour with the pinch of salt into a large bowl, holding the sieve up high to give it a good airing. Then add the lard and butter and, using only your fingertips, lightly and gently rub the fat into the flour, again lifting the mixture up high all the time to give it a good airing.
• When everything is crumbly, sprinkle in about 1 tablespoon of cold water. Start to mix the pastry with a knife and then finish off with your hands, adding a few more drops of water, till you have a smooth dough that leaves the bowl clean. Then pop the pastry into a polythene bag and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5, 375°F (190°C) and pop the baking sheet in to pre-heat on the centre shelf.
• After that, roll the pastry out into a circle on a surface lightly dusted with flour, giving it quarter turns to keep its round shape; it's a good idea at this stage to put the tin lightly on top of the pastry - the size needs to be 1 inch (2.5 cm) bigger all round. Now transfer it, rolling it over the pin, to the tin, and press it lightly and firmly around the base, sides and rim. Now take a sharp knife and trim the overlapping pastry. Then press the rim of the pastry so that about ¼ inch (5 mm) overlaps the edge.
• Next, roll the trimmings and cut out about 24 leaves, making veins in them with the blunt side of the knife. Now brush the whole surface of the pastry case with some of the beaten eggs, arranging the leaves all around the rim, overlapping them. Brush these, too, with beaten egg. Now prick the base of the tart with a fork, then place it on the baking sheet and bake on the centre shelf for 20 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden. Check after 4 minutes to make sure that the pastry isn't rising up in the centre. If it is, prick it again a couple of times, pressing it back down with your hands. After 20 minutes, remove it from the oven, leaving the baking sheet there, and reduce the temperature to gas mark 3, 325°F(170°C).
• Now place the cream in a saucepan and bring it up to a gentle simmer, then whisk the beaten eggs and sugar together in a large heatproof jug using a balloon whisk - but not too vigorously because you don't want to make bubbles. Then pour the hot liquid over the beaten eggs, add the vanilla extract and half the nutmeg and whisk briefly again.
• Now place the pie tin back on the baking tray with the oven shelf half out and have ready the rest of the grated nutmeg on a piece of foil. Carefully pour the filling into the pastry case (it will be very full) and scatter the rest of the nutmeg all over, then dot with the softened butter and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until the filling is golden brown, firm in the centre and slightly puffed up. Serve it warm or slightly cooled at room temperature.

EGG CUSTARD TART WITH NUTMEG

Steps:

• Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt to combine. Add butter, and pulse until combined. Whisk together egg yolk and water; drizzle over flour mixture, and pulse until dough just comes together, not more than 30 seconds. Shape dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour or up to 1 day.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to an 11-inch round, 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 9-by-2-inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Line with parchment, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 15 minutes. Remove weights and parchment, and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes more. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. (Keep oven on.)
• Make the filling: With the tip of a paring knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a saucepan, and add pod. Add cream and milk, and bring to a simmer. Remove pan from heat, and cover. Let stand 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and granulated sugar until pale and thick, about 2 minutes. Still whisking, add warm cream mixture in a slow, steady stream. Add arrowroot and nutmeg. Whisk until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into baked and cooled crust. Skim foam from surface.
• Bake until edges of filling are firm but center is still slightly wobbly, about 40 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Refrigerate 4 hours (or, wrapped tightly in plastic, up to 1 day). Before serving, unmold, sprinkle with lots of nutmeg, and dust lightly with confectioners' sugar.