Buttermilk Nutmeg Tart Recipe

Custard tarts have been made in Britain in one form or another since at least Elizabethan times (and if you do not believe me, here is a recipe for Elizabethan custard tarts). This is a variant on the traditional custard tart that uses buttermilk as the base for the custard. This makes an excellent dessert or even a tea-time cake, served warm with cream.

Buttermilk Nutmeg Tart

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

For the Pastry:

90g (3/4 cup) plain flour
30g (1/4 cup) rice flour
2 tbsp icing sugar
100g (3 1/2 oz) chilled butter, chopped
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tsp iced water

For the Filling:

2 tsp custard powder
65g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
120ml single cream
250ml buttermilk
1 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg

Method:

Begin with the pastry. Combine the flours and icing sugar in a bowl. Add the chopped butter and rub into the flour mix with your fingertips, until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add the egg yolk and mix to combine then work in just enough of the cold water to bring the ingredients together as a dough.

Turn out onto a lightly-floured work surface and knead lightly. Cover with clingfilm (plastic wrap) and set aside to chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. After this time roll the pastry out between two sheets of clingfilm (plastic wrap) until large enough to cover the base and sides of a deep 20cm diameter flan dish. Butter the dish then use the pastry to line it. Trim off the excess pastry neatly then, using your fingertips, pinch a fluted pattern around the pastry edge.

For the filling, whisk together the custard powder sugar and eggs in a bowl. Add the vanilla extract, cream and buttermilk. Mix until well combined then pour the mixture into the pie shell. Sprinkle over the nutmeg then sit the tart on a baking tray. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180ºC (350ºF, Gas Mark 4) and bake for about 50 minutes, or until the custard is set and a sharp knife inserted into the centre emerges cleanly.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

This tart can be served either warm or cold and should be accompanied by cream.

Personally I like to add 1 tsp finely-grated lemon zest to the custard mix before baking.