Almond and vanilla custard tarts

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The custard tart is a classic British bake, that's stood the test of time. Marcus Wareing's custard tart was served to the Queen when he won the dessert place on Great British Menu. Now Karen shares a twist on the custard tart which we hope will become a family favourite.

Ahhh, the humble custard, a bake from my childhood and beloved of “ye olde worlde tea rooms” as well as most bakeries and even supermarket “caffs”; simple it may look nestled in its silver case, and whereas not as flashy as its continental cousins which are adorned with glazed fruits, chocolate swirls and caramelised nuts, this British bake has stood the test of time and remains the nation’s favourite. It’s quite simply a pastry case with a custard filling and a nutmeg sprinkling, but the alchemy that happens when these three elements come together is magical.

So, what on earth I am doing, you may all think, by meddling with a perfectly good recipe that has stood the test of time? I love the traditional Baked Custard Tart with its slightly wobbly custard filling and nutmeg spice topping, but I also love custard with vanilla too, and although short crust pastry is the usual vehicle for these golden yellow pies I prefer the lightness of flaky pastry when baking these tarts. I also adore a scattering of almonds when making these custardy treats too, it’s the nutty texture and taste that adds to the “wibble-wobble” of the vanilla custard that is so utterly charming

When I decided to make a batch of these tea time treats recently, I turned to some ready-made puff pastry that I had lurking in the fridge, some Madagascan vanilla extract and some delicate flaked almonds for my custard tarts. By making them with puff (flaky) pastry, my tarts are very similar to the famous Portuguese Tart, “pastel de nata”, but without the addition of orange blossom water or any other citrus flavouring, which is traditional in the Portuguese variety. I still wanted the “pure” taste of a vanilla custard filling, but with a flakier pastry, and the nuts came as an afterthought when they fell out of the cupboard!

I had enough pastry to make six small individual tarts, and one larger tart, but you can of course choose to make a dozen tarts or just one very large one, based on my recipe below. We all enjoyed these tarts with an afternoon cuppa and they were truly delectable – although there is still a place in my heart for the humble “baked custard” as it is fondly known in our parts, I think my Almond and Vanilla Custard Tarts will also become a firm family favourite, and by using puff pastry, there is no need to bake the pastry blind before adding the filling either, which makes them less time-consuming.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Almond and vanilla custard tarts

  • 1 packet of puff pastry, ready-rolled, 275g in weight
  • 100ml of single cream
  • 100ml of whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 50g of caster sugar
  • 25g of flaked almonds

Method

1
Preheat oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Grease a muffin tray or a pie dish (or both) with some softened butter. You can also use tinfoil pie/tart cases too
2
Cut out the pastry to fit the muffin tin, pie tin or foil cases, allowing a little excess pastry as an overhang
3
Place the pastry shapes into the prepared tin or cases and press down slightly
4
Whisk the eggs with the cream, milk, vanilla extract and caster sugar and then pour through a strainer into the pastry lined cases. (If you are not bothered about a super smooth custard filling, you can dispense with this step and just pour the filling in without straining.)
5
Scatter the flaked almonds over the top of the tarts
6
Bake the tart/s for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pastry has puffed up and is golden brown, and the filling has just set with a slight wobble, and the nuts are golden brown
7
Remove the tarts from the oven and allow cool for a minute before taking the individual ones out of the tin and allowing them to cool on a wire rack. Leave the larger pie in the tin to serve. (You can take the larger pie out of the tin to serve if you wish, once it has cooled slightly.)
8
Serve cold or at room temperature

Karen Burns-Booth is a freelance food & travel writer, recipe developer and food stylist with a passion for local, seasonal ingredients.

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