Silly Old Egg Tart!

More like the surface of the moon!

In theory, an egg tart, should be one of the simplest things to make from my limited culinary perspective. 

However, attempting a new recipe from the BBC Good Food website on Christmas Eve with two additional and enthusiastic kitchen assistants was a recipe for disaster. The writing was already on the pastry! 

My calamitous kitchen episode can be avoided by closely following this recipe. 


Ingredients:

140g butter, chilled and diced
250g plain flour
zest 1 lemon
100g caster sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp whole milk

For the custard

250ml double cream
250ml milk
1 vanilla pod, split
1 strip lemon zest
whole nutmeg
8 egg yolks
100g caster sugar

Method

To make the pastry, rub the butter into the flour with the lemon zest and a pinch of salt until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, egg and milk and bring together to form a dough. This can be made 2 days in advance.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out and use it to line a 20cm tart tin, leave 2cm of pastry hanging over the edge. Chill for 30 mins.

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan. Line the case with baking beans, bake blind for 20 minutes, then remove the beans and continue to cook for a further 20 minutes until the base is biscuity. Remove from oven and reduce the temperature to 140C/120C fan.

Bring the cream, milk, vanilla pod, lemon zest and a small grating of nutmeg to the boil. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until pale, then pour the hot milk and cream over, beating as you go. 

Strain custard into a jug, allow to settle for a few minutes, then skim off any froth. Don't forget to do this part of the recipe! Otherwise your egg tart will have a surface skin not unlike the surface of the moon!

Carefully pour the custard into the tart case, grate some more nutmeg over the top and bake for 40 minutes or until just set with the very slightest wobble in the middle. Remove from the oven, trim the pastry edges off, then leave to cool completely before serving in slices with a grating more of nutmeg.

Got it cracked!

Well, the good news is that it certainly tasted better than it looked and I would probably reduce the sugar by 20g next time.

Ginger Plum Cake

Victoria Plums

If, like me, your Victoria Plum tree has produced a bumper crop this year. Then all things plum are currently featured on my dessert menus in a desperate attempt to wade through the purple fruit mountain that has formed in my kitchen. 

Compote is one simple solution making a delicious accompaniment to yoghurt. 

However, if you're looking for some comfort food then this recipe is for you. 

Ooops! Perhaps I shouldn't be using such a terrible term as 'comfort food'. In a few years Google will be trawling our blogs deleting such terms in a desperate attempt to reduce obesity. Very scary to read child obesity is on the increase...stop giving them those sugary drinks!

I tried this particular recipe from the Good Food website with a couple of minor alterations.

Ingredients

butter, for greasing
2 tbsp demerara sugar
500g plums
For the cake
175g butter
175g dark muscovado sugar
140g golden syrup
2 eggs, beaten
200ml milk
300g self-raising flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp mixed spice

Method

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. 
• For the cake, melt the butter, muscovado sugar and syrup in a large pan over a low heat, stirring until smooth. Cool for 10 mins. 
• Meanwhile, grease and line the base of a 23cm square cake tin with baking parchment. Butter the paper generously and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. 
• Wash the plums, remove the stones and slice. Arrange in the base of the tin - see picture below.
• Once the butter and syrup mix has cooled slightly stir in the eggs and milk. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then mix to a smooth batter.
• Pour the batter into the tin, over the plums, and bake for 50-60 mins until firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool. Will keep in the fridge, wrapped in baking parchment and foil, for up to 5 days.

Delicious served with cream or ice-cream. Equally delicious sliced cold with a cup of coffee. Cuts into 16 generous squares.