GBBO Challenge Week 5: Classic Vanilla Custard Tart

This is probably the first time that I have genuinely felt like a GBBO contestant. I set out to make a simple custard tart - the first time I had ever attempted one. Tart dough made - so far so good, I had done this many times. Rolling out the dough proved a little difficult, as the fat content of this dough was quite high. 

The first cracks started to appear in my confidence, as well as in the crust as I was lifting it into the tart tin. As I placed the tart shell in the oven, I told it to behave well, and not dare shrink on me. Of course, I had an disobedient tart shell and it decided to shrink on me anyway. As I saw the crust creeping down the sides of the tin, I felt this could never work out. 

Then came that all important moment of pouring the custard filling in the crust. This had to happen, I had gathered from the GBBO episode, while the tin was ín the oven. And while I was pouring the filling into the shell, trying not to burn myself or melt the bowl, I wondered why no-one had invented a custard slide for exactly this purpose. 

Red-faced and sweaty, I retreated from the oven door, closed it, hoping the filling wouldn't leak out. Which of course it did. And back I was in the oven, scraping custard off the sides, cursing the tart shell yet again for being so darned irregular in height. I crossed my fingers when I eventually took the tart out of the oven and miraculously, the custard had only stuck to the crust partially and not to the tin, which allowed me to pop it out with ease. 

I was glad Mary and Paul were not around to see it though! At least now I could tell myself the crust had a nice "ombre" effect. 

Moral of the story? Well, I believe that considering all the stress I went through baking such a simple tart, bake off contestants must be superhumans. Baking within time constraints, the icy stare of mr. Hollywood, the crew firing questions at you constantly: they are multitaskers extraordinaire. As Norman exited last week, I was so disappointed to lose such a witty, dry-humored baker, but in the back of my mind I thought that it was fair as Norman had baked too simply. 

Now I think that if I were in his shoes, I might have gone for a simpler bake as well, eliminating extreme multitasking. I suppose that it's like so many other things: don't judge before you walk a mile in someone's shoes! It's good to be reminded of that sometimes :)

Recipe Classic Vanilla Custard Tart


Tools: loose-bottomed tart tin 23 cm ø, baking parchment, baking beans/rice/dry beans, food processor (optional, but recommended)

Ingredients:

Dough:

130   gr plain flour
65     gr cornstarch
50     gr caster sugar
140   gr cold butter, diced
1       egg
splash of milk


Filling:

150   ml full-fat milk
250   ml heavy cream
50     gr cornstarch
4       eggs
100   gr light-brown sugar
seeds of 1 vanilla OR 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste OR 2 sachets of vanilla sugar

pinch of ground nutmeg

1. To make the dough, sift plain flour and cornstarch in a bowl. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor and add the sugar and butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Whisk the egg with a teensy splash of milk and add it to the mixture while the machine is running. Pulse until the dough comes together. Lightly shape the dough into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 1 hour.

If you don't have a food processor, cut the butter into the flour mixture with two knives to reach the fine breadcrumb stage, then use a fork to add the egg to the dough until it comes together. Don't get your hands into it, the warmth from your hands will melt the butter

2. Preheat the oven to 180C/355F.

3. Roll the dough out on a floured working surface. As the dough is quite sticky, keep flouring and turning the dough as you go to keep it from adhering to the surface or the rolling pin. Line the tart tin with the dough. Prick the base all over with a fork. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes.

4. Line the shell with baking parchment (or oven proof clingfilm, which apparently exists now!) and fill with baking beans (or dry rice/beans). Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then lift the baking beans out with the parchment/foil and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Set aside.

5. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F.

6. Prepare the filling. Mix eggs with sugar, then add the cornstarch and vanilla seeds. Add milk and cream. Mix until combined after each addition.

7. Place tart shell in the oven, pour in the filling and bake for 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 175C/340F and bake for another 25 minutes. Take out of the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack. The filling might have risen somewhat, but will return to "tart level" while cooling. Turn out onto a plate, sprinkle some nutmeg on top and serve. Enjoy!

Source: Eat Me Blog (with a few tweaks)