Comté tart by Paul Weaver from Noble Rot, London
SERVES SIX INGREDIENTS For the pastry
250g plain flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
1 level tsp salt
1 egg yolk
120g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing the tin
5 tbsp water
1 egg, beaten, for brushing
For the filling
250g comté, grated 250ml whole milk 250ml double cream 5 eggs
2 pinches of salt
METHOD
To make the pastry, put all the ingredients (except the water and the egg for brushing) in a bowl and rub them together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the water one tablespoon at a time and knead until it comes together and forms a ball. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes or until needed.
Lightly grease a 25cm tart case.
Roll the dough out, straight from the fridge, on to a lightly floured surface to about the thickness of a pound coin. Use this to line the buttered tart case. Leave some excess pastry hanging over the rim as the pastry will shrink in the oven.
Prick the bottom of the case with a fork before putting it in the fridge to chill for around 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6.
To make the filling, place all ingredients in a jug and lightly whisk.
When ready to bake, remove the tin from the fridge, line the pastry with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans or dried lentils. Bake until the edge of the case is golden (about 30 minutes).
Now remove the greaseproof paper and baking beans, brush the case with a beaten egg and bake again for five minutes or until the bottom looks cooked.
Remove the tin from the oven and turn the temperature down to 150C/130C fan/Gas 2.
Pour three quarters of the filling into the tart case immediately, place the tart back in the oven and carefully top it up with the remaining filling (this is to prevent it from spilling out when filled to the top when you put it back into the oven).
Bake for between 40-50 minutes or until, when you shake the tart tin lightly, the middle has lost its wobble. Let it cool for 15 minutes, then trim the edge of the pastry with a sharp knife.
Serve with sliced pickled walnuts (time to get them pickling right now), a bitter leaf salad and even better
a glass of Jacques Puffeney Vin Jaune.