Delia Smith Egg Custard Tart Recipes

PORTUGUESE CUSTARD TARTS

Steps:

• First make the custard, which is so easy: place the custard powder and sugar in a bowl and mix it to a smooth paste with the milk and egg yolks. Then heat the crème fraîche in a saucepan and, when it begins to bubble, pour it in to join the custard powder mixture. Whisk everything together, then return it to the saucepan and, still whisking, bring it up to a simmer. When it begins to boil it will become thick, so remove it from the heat, add the vanilla extract, then pour it into a bowl and allow to cool. When the custard is cold, brush the pastry rounds with some of the beaten egg and transfer them (using a palette knife) to a well-greased baking sheet. Now spoon some of the cold custard into the centre of each one, leaving a 2.5cm border all round. Bring up the edges of the pastry to form into tarts, pinching and sealing the folds. Brush the pastry with more beaten egg, sprinkle with cinnamon and bake for 15-20 minutes till the pastry is dark golden-brown. The filling will puff up quite a lot, but it will soon sink back as it cools. Finally, brush each one with caramel sauce to give a shiny glaze over the filling and pastry. These are best eaten as fresh as possible. NOTE: Jus-Rol pastry rounds may be difficult to find, however if you use block puff pastry, Lindsey recommends rolling it to the thickness of a £1 coin, with a 6 inch diameter

CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• The Case: Roll out the pastry into a rectangle and brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle on some icing sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Tightly roll the pastry, along the longest side, into a sausage roll and slice into discs (about 1-inch thick). With the palm of your hand press down into each disc, then roll out each one into a circle.
• Grease the bottom and sides of 6 oven-proof glasses with butter, then dip each into a bag of flour so that the flour sticks to the butter and shake off any excess. Put the center of the pastry circles on top of the floured oven-proof glass, and gently press the sides of the pastry onto the side of the glass (it should look a bit pleated). Place the glasses (rim side down) on a tray in a preheated 350 degree F.oven). When they are cooked, take them out of the oven and press the bottom of each pastry case, this will ensure that they have a flat bottom.
• The Custard: Break the eggs into a mixing bowl with the sugar and orange zest and whisk thoroughly. Scrape out the seeds inside of a vanilla pod and stir this into the egg mixture. Pour the cream into a saucepan and remove from the heat just before it boils. Pour the hot cream into the bowl of eggs, stirring all the time. Then transfer this mixture back to the saucepan, on medium heat and stir continuously until it has thickened.
• Pour the custard into the pastry cases and let sit to cool.
• Heat the sugar and water on a high heat until you have a golden caramel. As soon as this is ready, pour a thin layer on top of the custard.;