Chilling time:
1 hr

Special equipment:
9in (22cm) tart pan
baking beans

Ingredients:
1¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra
for dusting
7 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled
and diced
¼ cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
½ tsp pure vanilla extract

For the filling:
¾ cup milk
2⁄3 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Method:
1 In a bowl, mix the flour and butter together until they form fine crumbs. Stir in the sugar.

2 Beat the egg yolks with the vanilla extract and add them to the dry ingredients.

3 Bring the mixture together to form a soft dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

4 Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Roll out the pastry to 1⁄8in (3mm) thick.

5 It will be fragile, so should it crumble, bring it together with your hands and knead gently.

6 Use it to line the pan, leaving an overlapping edge of 3⁄4in (2cm).

7 Prick the pastry all over with a fork to keep air bubbles from forming during baking.

8 Line with parchment and weigh it down with beans. Bake for 20 minutes on a baking sheet.

9 Remove the beans and paper and bake for 5 minutes more. Trim the overhanging pastry.

10 Reduce the temperature to 340°F (170°C). Heat the milk and the cream in a pan.

11 Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and nutmeg.

12 Once the milk and cream have come to a boil, pour them over the egg mixture, whisking.

13 Place the pastry crust on a baking sheet; this will make it easier to transfer to the oven.

14 Pour the filling into the crust and place the baking sheet in the top third of the oven.

15 Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until just set but still with a slight wobble in the center.

16 Remove the tart from the oven and leave to cool, then remove from the pan. STORE The tart will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 day.

Custard Tart Recipe