Salted Caramel Vanilla Bean Custard Tart Food

SALTED CARAMEL-VANILLA BEAN CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• Pour whole milk into large saucepan. With sharp paring knife, cut slit down middle of vanilla bean. Scrape seeds from inside bean; add seeds and bean to milk. Slowly heat to boiling over low heat.
• Meanwhile, in large bowl, mix sugar and cornstarch with whisk. Add egg yolks; mix with whisk until combined. Slowly add about 1/2 cup of the hot milk to egg mixture, stirring constantly. Return mixture to saucepan; cook and stir until thickened. Remove from heat.
• Press custard through fine-mesh strainer into bowl. Add 1/4 cup butter, one piece at a time, stirring with whisk until incorporated. Press plastic wrap on surface of custard. Refrigerate until completely cooled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Place cookies in food processor. Cover; process with on-and-off pulses until fine crumbs form. (Or place cookies in resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag and finely crush with rolling pin or meat mallet.) In medium bowl, mix cookie crumbs and melted butter. Press mixture into bottom and up side of 11-inch tart pan. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until set. Cool.
• In medium saucepan, heat caramels and evaporated milk over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until caramels are melted. Stir until smooth; stir in salt. Remove from heat.
• To assemble, pour salted caramel into crust; spread evenly. Let stand at least 15 minutes to set up. Remove custard from refrigerator and stir with whisk until smooth. Carefully spread custard over caramel layer. Serve immediately.

SALTED CARAMEL CUSTARD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Place 6 (6.5 ounce) ramekins in a baking dish.
• Place sugar evenly in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Without stirring, allow sugar to slowly melt around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary. When edges start to bubble, shake and swirl pan to dissolve remaining sugar but without stirring it. Keep pan moving until you have a clear, dark caramel, about 10 minutes. When sugar is completely dissolved, whisk in cream; caramel will cool into a lump; this is normal. Keep stirring over medium heat until caramel melts and mixture comes up to temperature and sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat
• Stir in kosher salt, vanilla, and cold milk; mix well.
• Place egg yolks in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in a ladleful of caramel/milk mixture to the yolks. Add 2 more ladlefuls, one at a time. Then mix in the remainder of the caramel/milk mixture to the yolks, whisking until thoroughly blended.
• Divide custard mixture evenly among the ramekins. Carefully pour into the baking dish enough water so that it comes halfway up the sides of the filled ramekins.
• Bake in preheated oven until custard is set and the top of custard jiggles evenly across the surface, 45 to 60 minutes (depending on the size of your ramekins and how full they are). If the center seems looser than the edges, continue to bake another minute or so.
• Transfer ramekins to a cooling rack; cool to room temperature. Cover ramekins with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour until they are very cold.
• Serve topped with a pinch of light, flaky sea salt.

SWEET VANILLA CUSTARD TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• The pastry is best made in a food processor by whizzing the flour, sugar, and butter for a few seconds until it is like fine bread crumbs.
• Then add the egg yolks and up to 2 tablespoons of water.
• Mix to make a soft dough.
• Wrap in plastic wrap.
• Put in refrigerator to chill.
• Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
• Split the vanilla bean lengthwise.
• Scrape out the inner seed mass.
• Add the seed mass and the bean to the milk.
• Heat the milk.
• Bring to a simmer.
• Remove from heat.
• Let the vanilla infuse the milk with flavor.
• In a medium to large bowl, whisk the sugar, egg, and egg yolks.
• Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture and whisk.
• Remove the vanilla bean pod.
• Line six 4-inch fluted tart tins (ramekins are too deep) with the sweet pastry by dividing the pastry into six portions and using your fingers to press out and line the tins.
• Place the tart tins on a baking sheet and then fill with the vanilla filling.
• Bake for 25 minutes.
• Enjoy!