Description
A luscious Sweetcorn Custard Tart featuring a crisp cornmeal pastry shell filled with a smooth, toasted sweetcorn custard, perfect for a unique dessert or a sophisticated teatime treat. This tart balances sweet and creamy textures with a subtle nutmeg aroma, complemented by optional crème fraîche.
Ingredients
Scale
Pastry
- 200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 50g fine cornmeal
- 125g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus extra for the tin
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 50–100ml water
Custard Filling
- 500g sweetcorn (defrosted if frozen)
- 150g unsalted butter
- 75g caster sugar
- 3 tbsp caster sugar
- 300ml whole milk
- 6 egg yolks (freeze the whites for another recipe)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 200g crème fraîche plus extra to serve (optional)
- Nutmeg, for grating
Instructions
- Prepare the Pastry: In a large bowl, combine the plain flour, fine cornmeal, cold cubed unsalted butter, caster sugar, and salt. Rub the mixture together with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Gradually add 50-100ml of water little by little until forming a smooth dough.
- Shape the Tart Shell: Butter a loose-bottomed 23cm tart tin. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry until it’s slightly larger than the tin’s diameter and about 2mm thick. Carefully drape the pastry over the rolling pin and transfer it to the tin, pressing into the base and sides. Use a fork to prick the base all over, then chill the pastry-covered tin for 30 minutes.
- Blind Bake the Pastry: Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan)/Gas mark 4. Line the chilled pastry case with scrunched baking parchment and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice to weigh it down. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and parchment, then bake for another 10 minutes until the pastry is lightly golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Cook the Sweetcorn Mixture: Place the sweetcorn in a heavy-based wide pan and cook over medium-high heat for 6 minutes until toasted, releasing a subtle aroma. Add the unsalted butter and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for about 5 minutes until the butter smells nutty. Stir in 3 tablespoons of caster sugar and cook for a couple more minutes. Stir in the whole milk and immediately remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly.
- Prepare the Egg Mixture: In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 75g caster sugar until pale, yellow, and creamy.
- Process and Strain the Corn Mixture: Transfer the warm corn mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth. Pass the mixture through a sieve into a large bowl to remove the fibrous outer kernels, discarding them. Repeat if necessary.
- Combine and Mix Custard: While the corn mixture is still hot, gradually whisk it into the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs. Stir in the vanilla extract and crème fraîche gently until just combined, avoiding excessive mixing to prevent air bubbles.
- Fill and Bake the Tart: Pour the custard filling into the cooled pastry case. Bake for 25-35 minutes until the custard is set but retains a slight wobble in the middle. Grate nutmeg generously over the tart, then allow it to cool completely.
- Serve: Slice the tart and serve with extra crème fraîche if desired for added richness.
Notes
- Freeze the reserved egg whites for future use in meringues or other recipes.
- Ensure not to overmix the custard filling to avoid air bubbles that can cause cracks during baking.
- Make sure the pastry is well chilled before blind baking to prevent shrinkage.
- Use baking beans or uncooked rice for blind baking to keep the pastry shape intact.
- Allow the custard tart to cool fully before slicing to help it set properly.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: sweetcorn custard tart, cornmeal pastry, custard tart, British dessert, unique custard tart, crème fraîche tart
