Blueberry custard tartlet with goat's cheese

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A dainty custard tartlet cooked to wobbly perfection is boosted with the acidic sweetness of blueberries and… goat's cheese! While it might sound unusual, the salty, umami cheese adds a wonderful depth without being too overpowering, a little like the salt in salted caramel. Give it a go and you won't be disappointed. You could also prepare this dish as one large tart suitable for slicing and sharing – although the cooking times may be a little longer if you do this.

Watch James Cochran create this dish from scratch as part of our Signature Series masterclass videos here.

First published in 2020

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Pastry

  • 125g of unsalted butter, diced
  • 95g of caster sugar
  • 2 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk for egg wash
  • 290g of plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 pinch of sea salt

Filling

Equipment

  • Stand mixer
  • 12cm pastry cutter
  • 4 10cm tartlet tins

Method

1
Begin by making the pastry, which can be done up to 2 days in advance if needed. Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a wooden spoon in a mixing bowl) for 5 minutes until white and fluffy. With the motor still running, add the eggs a little at a time, waiting for them to incorporate fully between each addition
2
Gently mix in the flour and salt, being careful not to over-mix, until a dough forms. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap tightly in cling film and place in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. This will leave you with more pastry than you need for this dish, but the rest can be frozen for other dishes
  • 290g of plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 pinch of sea salt
3
Meanwhile, prepare the custard filling. Pour the whipping cream into a saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Meanwhile, mix together the egg yolks and caster sugar in a mixing bowl until fully combined
  • 375g of whipping cream
  • 115g of egg yolk
  • 65g of caster sugar
4
Pour a little of the boiling milk into the egg mixture, mixing continuously to temper the eggs, then gradually add the rest of the milk (whilst constantly stirring). Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, then place in the fridge to cool
5
Unwrap the chilled pastry and cut off a quarter (the remaining pastry can be rewrapped and stored in the freezer). Dust a work surface with flour, then roll the pastry out to roughly 5mm thick. Use a 12cm ring cutter to cut out 4 circles, then use these to line your tartlet moulds, pushing the pastry into the grooves. Reserve the pastry trimmings and leave some overhang as the pastry will shrink as it cooks. Place the tartlets into the fridge to chill for 20 minutes
6
Preheat an oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Once the tartlets have chilled, line them with cling film and pour flour, rice or baking beans on top, ensuring they’re packed into the grooves too. Place the tartlets into the oven to blind-bake for 15 minutes
7
After 15 minutes, remove the cling film and blind-baking mixture, then use any remaining pastry to fill any gaps. Return to the oven for another 4 minutes, then turn the oven down to 95°C. Brush the blind-baked tartlets with the egg wash to seal the pastry, then return to the oven for 1 minute
8
Pour the chilled custard mixture into the pastry cases, three-quarters full, then transfer the tartlets onto the baking tray in the oven. Top up the with the remaining custard until they’re completely full, then bake for 10-15 minutes until set with a slight wobble
9
Trim the excess pastry on the tarts to neaten them up, then upturn from the cases and place on plates. Top with the blueberries, then finely grate a generous amount of the goat’s cheese on top. Serve immediately
First published in 2020

After spending nine years with the likes of Brett Graham at The Ledbury and The Harwood Arms, James Cochran has become one of the UK's most exciting chefs, wowing the capital with his imaginative cooking at 1251.

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