Mandarin Custard Tarts Food

CHINESE CUSTARD TARTS

Steps:

• In large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in lard until mixture resembles fine crumbs with a few larger pieces.
• Drizzle with ice water, tossing briskly with fork to form soft, shaggy dough that holds together when pressed. Press into ball; flatten into disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
• On lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Using 4-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 12 circles, rerolling scraps. Fit, without stretching, into 3-inch tart tins. Line each with crumpled foil; refrigerate for 30 minutes. Bake in bottom third of 425°F oven until starting to colour and turn opaque, about 8 minutes. Remove foil.
• CUSTARD: Meanwhile, in separate bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Whisk in milk, cream and vanilla. Pour into tart shells until three-quarters full. Bake in bottom third of 400°F oven until pastry is golden and tip of knife inserted into custard comes out clean, 15 to 18 minutes.
• Let stand on rack for 15 minutes; run small metal spatula around tarts to loosen. Transfer to rack and let cool. (Make-ahead: Cover and store for up to 4 hours.)
• CUSTARD: Meanwhile, in separate bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Whisk in milk, cream and vanilla. Pour into tart shells until three-quarters full. Bake in bottom third of 400°F oven until pastry is golden and tip of knife inserted into custard comes out clean, 15 to 18 minutes.

CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• The Case: Roll out the pastry into a rectangle and brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle on some icing sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Tightly roll the pastry, along the longest side, into a sausage roll and slice into discs (about 1-inch thick). With the palm of your hand press down into each disc, then roll out each one into a circle.
• Grease the bottom and sides of 6 oven-proof glasses with butter, then dip each into a bag of flour so that the flour sticks to the butter and shake off any excess. Put the center of the pastry circles on top of the floured oven-proof glass, and gently press the sides of the pastry onto the side of the glass (it should look a bit pleated). Place the glasses (rim side down) on a tray in a preheated 350 degree F.oven). When they are cooked, take them out of the oven and press the bottom of each pastry case, this will ensure that they have a flat bottom.
• The Custard: Break the eggs into a mixing bowl with the sugar and orange zest and whisk thoroughly. Scrape out the seeds inside of a vanilla pod and stir this into the egg mixture. Pour the cream into a saucepan and remove from the heat just before it boils. Pour the hot cream into the bowl of eggs, stirring all the time. Then transfer this mixture back to the saucepan, on medium heat and stir continuously until it has thickened.
• Pour the custard into the pastry cases and let sit to cool.
• Heat the sugar and water on a high heat until you have a golden caramel. As soon as this is ready, pour a thin layer on top of the custard.;

CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• 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/gas 4. Line the case with baking beans, bake blind for 20 mins, then remove the beans and continue to cook for a further 20 mins until the base is biscuity. Remove from oven and reduce the temperature to 140C/120C fan/gas 1.
• 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 mins, then skim off any froth.
• Carefully pour the custard into the tart case, grate some more nutmeg over the top and bake for 40 mins or until just set with the very slightest wobble in the middle. Remove from the oven, trim the pastry edges off (away from the filling), then leave to cool completely before serving in slices with a grating more of nutmeg, if you like.