Baked custard tart with shortbread

Paul Merrett

Baked egg custard is often done as a tart in restaurants however I think it works just as well baked in a dish and served with shortbread.

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 57 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients

For the baked custard:

300 ml / ½ pint single cream
150 ml / ¼ pint full fat milk
2 Freedom Food labelled large eggs
2 Freedom Food labelled egg yolks
50g / 2oz caster sugar
fresh grated nutmeg, at least half a nut

For the compote:

450g / 1 lb fresh or frozen gooseberries
150g / 5oz golden caster sugar
The amount of sugar required is very dependant
on the acidity of the gooseberries being used.
115g / 4oz grated stem ginger with a little of the syrup in the jar

For the shortbread:

225g / 8oz butter, diced
6 tbsp icing sugar, sieved
250g / 9oz plain flour, sieved
the seeds from 2 vanilla pods
milk, if necessary

Method:

Preheat the oven to 130°C / 250°F/ Gas Mark ½.
Pour the cream and milk into a large saucepan.
Heat gently to a simmer. Remove from the heat.

Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and sugar until thick and creamy. Add the hot milk and cream and whisk. Strain into a jug.

Pour the custard into 6 individual ramekins or a china dish large enough to hold all the mixture then grate over the nutmeg.

Stand the dish or ramekins in a roasting tray and pour boiling water into the tray around the custard dish, up to about halfway up. Bake for 35 minutes then remove from the oven and leave to cool.

To make the compote:

Place the gooseberries and sugar in a large pan.
Heat gently, stirring occasionally, for about 6 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the ginger
Allow to cool and then chill in fridge before serving.

To make the shortbread:

Pre-heat the oven to 150°C / 300°F/ Gas Mark 2.

Beat the butter and sugar until soft and pale. Mix in the flour and the seeds from the vanilla. If the mixture is too solid to pipe add a little milk.

Using a piping bag and large star tube nozzle pipe out 7–8 cm lengths of shortbread onto silicone paper. Bake for about 12 minutes or until a sandy brown.

Serve the baked custard alongside the compote and the shortbread.

Recipe from the Freedom Food Celebrity Recipe Collection 2009