English custard tart

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Mix 200 g all-purpose flour, 50 g powdered sugar and a pinch salt, then add 110 g cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes and rub it in with your fingertips. Butter that's still cold creates little pockets of fat that make the crust crisp and flaky. Once the mixture looks like damp sand with no lumps of butter bigger than a pea, add 36 g egg yolks along with 15 g cold water and gather it into a dough.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Press the dough into a flat disk about two finger-widths thick, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. The rest lets the gluten relax, so the crust shrinks less in the oven. The dough is ready when it feels firm and a fingertip pressed into it leaves only a shallow dent.

   Suggested time: about 60 minutes.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Roll the dough out on a lightly floured counter into a sheet about 3 mm thick, drape it over the rolling pin and ease it into a 20 cm tart pan, pressing it snugly into the bottom corners. Leave a little extra dough overhanging the rim, since the crust shrinks slightly as it bakes. The pan is lined properly when the dough hugs the sides with no air pockets underneath.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Prick a few small holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork, then refrigerate the pan for another twenty minutes. A cold, firm crust holds its tall sides in the oven instead of slumping. The shell is ready when it feels firm and cold, as if straight from the fridge.

   Suggested time: about 20 minutes.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Heat the oven to 190°C with a rack in the middle while the crust chills. The oven needs to be evenly hot so the crust turns golden right away instead of the butter melting out. You can start baking when an oven thermometer shows the right temperature.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Line the crust with a sheet of parchment paper, fill it to the top with rice or dried beans as weights and bake at 190°C for about 15 to 18 minutes. The weights keep the bottom flat and stop the sides from sliding down. The crust is ready when the edges are dry and starting to turn pale golden.

   Bake at 190°C for about 15 to 18 minutes.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Lift out the parchment and weights, lower the oven to 180°C and bake the empty shell for another 5 to 8 minutes. This dries out the bottom so the liquid custard doesn't soak in and make it soggy. The bottom is ready when it's evenly golden with no shiny, damp spots; then lower the oven to 130°C.

   Bake at 180°C for about 5 to 8 minutes.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Pour 300 g heavy cream and 200 g whole milk into a saucepan and heat over medium heat until small bubbles appear around the edge, then turn off the heat. Warm milk dissolves the sugar quickly and helps the custard cook more evenly in the oven. The mixture is ready when it steams gently but hasn't boiled up.

   Medium heat.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   Whisk 160 g egg yolks with 75 g superfine sugar and 4 g vanilla extract just until combined, then pour in the warm cream in a thin stream while whisking constantly. Pouring slowly warms the yolks gradually so they don't set into curds. The mixture is ready when it's an even pale yellow with little foam and thinly coats the back of a spoon.

   Mark step 9 as done

10. Step 10

    Strain the custard through a fine sieve into a pouring jug, skim off all the foam from the surface, then set the tart shell on an oven rack pulled halfway out. Careful straining removes the stringy bits of egg and air bubbles that would pit the top. The custard is ready when it's smooth and clear with a flat surface free of bubbles.

    Mark step 10 as done

11. Step 11

    Pour the custard into the shell right on the oven rack until it's filled to the brim, dust 1.5 g ground nutmeg evenly over the top and gently slide the rack in. Bake at 130°C for about 40 to 50 minutes so the custard sets slowly and turns silky. The tart is done when the edges of the custard are set while the very center still wobbles like jelly when you shake the pan.

    Bake at 130°C for about 40 to 50 minutes.

    Mark step 11 as done

12. Step 12

    Let the tart cool in its pan on a rack at room temperature for about two hours before removing it from the pan. The custard keeps setting as it cools, so cutting too early makes it run. The tart is ready when the custard is firm and a knife passes through to leave a clean, neat slice.

    Suggested time: about 120 minutes.

    Mark step 12 as done