CUSTARD TART

You don’t get much more traditional than a good old custard tart — and homemade takes it to another level. We love it, and it’s much too good for throwing at anybody! No bells and whistles here, just a lovely smooth custard, topped with nutmeg and encased in crisp pastry. There’s nothing better.

SERVES 6

FOR THE PASTRY

250g (9oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting A pinch of salt

125g (4½oz) chilled butter, diced

1tbsp icing sugar

1 egg yolk

Iced water

FOR THE FILLING

500ml (18fl oz) double or whipping cream 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways

4 eggs

2 egg yolks

60g (2¼oz) caster sugar

■ Nutmeg, for grating

To make the pastry, put the flour in a bowl with a good pinch of salt. Add the butter and rub into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, then stir in the icing sugar. Mix the egg yolk with 1tbsp iced water and drizzle it in, then add just enough iced water to bind the pastry together into a dough. Knead gently until the dough is smooth.

Dust your work surface with flour and roll out the dough until it’s big enough to line a deep, 18cm diameter tin. Lightly dust the pastry with flour (so it doesn’t stick), then fold the sides in and sit the pastry in the base of the tin. Unfold the pastry and push it well into the sides of the tin. Leave a little overhang over the edges of the tin to trim later. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Line the pastry with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and parchment and bake for 5-10 minutes, until lightly coloured. Trim the pastry edges. Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C/fan 130°C/gas 2.

To make the filling, put the cream in a saucepan with the vanilla pod. Bring the cream to boiling point and remove the pan from the heat. Put the eggs, egg yolks and sugar into a bowl and whisk until well combined (see tip, below). Remove the vanilla pod from the pan. Pour the heated cream from a height over the egg mixture, stirring as you go. Set aside until any froth or air bubbles subside.

Place the pastry case (in its tin) on a baking tray. Pour the custard filling through a sieve into the pastry case, then grate a generous amount of nutmeg over the top, so the surface is completely covered.

Bake for 45 minutes1 hour, until the custard is just set — aim for it to have a slight wobble still in the centre. Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool before serving. The custard will continue to firm up as it cools. Enjoy!