Recipe: Stuart Ralston's custard tart

This recipe for a sweet custard tart featured in Stuart Ralston's trial for Sandy Lane

It seems that every culture has independently discovered the beauty of sweet egg custard. A custard tart works on a restaurant menu as well as it does at home, and a version featured in my trial for Sandy Lane, plated with saffron compressed pineapple, ginger crémeux and brown butter ice-cream.

The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for it to cool completely before cutting. Feel free to use a deep, pre-baked tart shell if you don't have the time or desire to make your own sweet pastry.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 160g egg yolks (roughly 8-10 yolks)
• 75g caster sugar
• 500g double cream
• 1 sweet tart shell (see below)
• 1 whole nutmeg
• 20g caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 150°C.

In a large bowl, whisk together the whole egg, egg yolks and sugar. Place the double cream in a pot and heat to just before boiling point, then slowly pour it over the eggs while whisking. Strain through a fine chinois back into the pot and cook out on a low heat for five minutes.

Carefully, pour the mixture into the baked tart shell and grate nutmeg all over the top so the surface is entirely covered. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, until the custard is set.

Allow the tart to cool completely on a wire rack before removing from the tin. Glaze the tart before you slice it: gently sprinkle the caster sugar over the custard and torch with a blowtorch until brûléed. The tart can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days.

Sweet tart shell

Makes 1 tart shell

• 165g plain white flour
• 50g caster sugar
• 1g salt
• 83g cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 15g water

Grease and line a 34 × 13cm tart tin (or 20cm springform cake tin).

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and mix until it is completely incorporated – the mixture should look like damp sand. Add the egg and continue to mix until a dough begins to form. Wrap tightly in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Generously dust your work surface with flour and roll out the sweet paste dough until it is about 3mm thick. As you roll, keep turning and flipping the dough and re-flouring the surface to prevent sticking. Carefully lift the dough over the prepared tin and press it in so it is flush against the sides and base. Trim off any excess hanging over the edges of the tin and freeze for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Once the tart shell is fully chilled, pierce the base and sides with a fork and line the inside with a large piece of baking parchment, then fill with blind baking beans. Bake for 20 minutes until the outer edge of the crust begins to turn brown, then remove the beans and parchment. Return the tart shell to the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the base is light brown and completely cooked.

Mix the egg yolk and water and brush it lightly all over the inside of the tart shell to seal it. Return the shell to the oven for another two to three minutes. You can either use the shell right away or prepare it in advance and allow to cool. It will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.

Catalogued Ideas and Random Thoughts by Stuart Ralston (Kitchen Press, £35)