Portuguese Custard Tart

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 8

Ingredients

6 egg yolks, plus 1 egg lightly whisked

¾ cup caster sugar plus 1 extra tablespoon

2 tbsp cornflour

500ml full cream milk

100ml thickened cream

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

2 sheets all-butter puff pastry

½ tsp ground cinnamon

Butter, for greasing

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan forced

Heat the milk, cream and vanilla in a pot.

For the filling, combine the egg yolks, ¾ cup caster sugar and cornflour and whisk until combined (this will help ensure the cornflour doesn’t create lumps) then stir through the sugar. Gradually whisk in milk, cream and vanilla constantly stirring. Place over medium low heat and cook, stirring often, until it thickens slightly, just before the mixture boils. Remove from heat and cool slightly then cover with cling film to prevent a skin from forming, and cool completely.

Grease a 20cm pie dish or tart tin and line the base with baking paper. Line prepared dish with 1 sheet of pastry, patching any gaps with the second sheet of pastry. Allow the pastry to overhang slightly then trim around the tin. It is easier to do this if the pastry is cold, so place in the fridge to chill before you trim.

Lightly prick the base of the pastry case with a fork, line with baking paper and fill with pastry weights right up to sides. Bake for 15 minutes and then remove rice and paper and lightly brush over the whisked egg and sprinkle over remaining caster sugar. Bake for a further 15 minutes to seal off the base. Set aside to cool completely.

Fill tart with the custard and return to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the mixture has set and the top has started to darken in patches.

Remove and cool then remove from the tart tin and sprinkle cinnamon to serve.