GF Custard Tart w/Jam
Buttery pastry, velvety custard, glistening fruit
Hey y’all. I’m still in Brazil and am rolling some recipes out that I tested back in London and never published. For this reason, I only have one, very random picture of this tart. But aesthetics aside, I am confident you will be very happy if you give this a shot. The set of the custard is divine and the pastry is absolutely ideal. I used fresh plum jam here, but the season has passed, so simply use any jam you like. I can’t think of a single fruit jam that doesn’t work with a vanilla custard, so go wild. A compote with larger chunks of fruit could work very well, too.
Next week, I’ll be continuing to share some amazing gluten-free treats from Brazil, many of which can be prepared with very basic equipment and few ingredients. Over on HausMates, I’ll be showing you how to make queijadinha, a scoopable baked custard with coconut and cheese.
What’s HausMates? It’s the elevated version of this newsletter/archive, where you’ll find double the recipes, join in the conversation, and receive one-on-one advice and guidance from me. Free posts become paywalled after some time, so joining HausMates means indefinite access to the full archive of gluten-free recipes. Subscribing is easy and costs £5 (~$6.75) per month or £50 (~$67) per year. This financial support means I can focus on recipe development and consistently providing you all with high-quality newsletters. Come on in!
Overview
First, heat the cream and infuse it with vanilla. While that infuses, make the pastry and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes and preheat the oven. Roll out the pastry, line a tart case with it, and blind bake. Then reduce the oven temperature, add jam to the base and bake to set the jam. Then combine the custard base, add it to the tart case and bake until just wobbly in the center. Leave to cool before serving.
Recipe
Makes one 8-inch tart (see notes for making a 9-inch tart)
Custard
425g double cream (if you only have access to ‘heavy cream’ [36-40% fat], that works fine here but the tart will have a firmer set and be less rich and silky)
1 vanilla bean (or skip infusion and use 1 tsp vanilla paste or 1-2 tsp vanilla extract)
100g caster sugar
2g salt
2 eggs (~100g without shell)
3 egg yolks (~50g)
Pastry [makes enough for a 9-inch tart]
180g GF plain flour (I use Freee Plain White Flour)
40g icing sugar
1/4 tsp (1.5g) salt
3/4 tsp (2.5g) xanthan gum
70g unsalted butter, cubed and kept cold
1 egg
Assembly
80-100g jam
Vanilla bean dust, optional [recipe below]
Method:
Split the vanilla bean down the middle and place it into a saucepan with the cream. Rub the interior of the vanilla bean into the cream to release as much of the vanilla as possible. Bring the mixture to a simmer and then cover and allow to infuse for at least an hour. You can also fridge this after letting it cool and leaving overnight if you prefer.
For the pastry, add all dry ingredients to a mixer and use the paddle to combine. Add cubed cold butter and paddle until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add eggs and paddle until smooth. Transfer the dough to a clean surface and knead a few times before wrapping in plastic or paper and placing in the fridge. Let it chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). After the dough has chilled for 30 minutes, remove and place it between two sheets of parchment paper. This will allow you to maneuver the dough without it sticking to the counter and will prevent your hands from warming it. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, moving from the center with each roll to make an even circle. This pastry makes enough for a 9-inch tart, so if you’re making an 8-inch, you’ll have a fairly substantial amount of extra pastry. Ensure you’re rolling it thin enough: about 3mm (0.1 inch). Peel off one of the parchment papers and reserve. Invert the pastry over the tart tin, let it fall inside, then peel the other parchment off. Carefully press the pastry into the tin, ensuring it is flush with the sides, especially where the sides meet the bottom. Retain some excess pastry on the sides but trim any pastry that is excessively large or unwieldy. Place in the fridge or freezer for 15 minutes.
Dock the pastry all over with a fork. Scrunch up a piece or parchment paper then unfold, press into the pastry, and fill with weights. I use ceramic pie weights but dry beans or rice etc. work as well. Bake for 15 minutes on the center rack. Remove the tart case, carefully remove the parchment with the weights, and bake for another 10-15 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the oven.
If using this pastry recipe for an unbaked tart, egg wash the pastry here and return to the oven and bake until evenly rich gold all over.
Reduce oven temperature to 160°C (320°F). After the pastry has cooled for 5-10 minutes, trim the edges so they are flush with the edges of the tin by running a sharp paring knife around the circumference. Remove any crumbs that have fallen into the case. Add jam to the case, spread evenly, and bake for 10 minutes or until the jam is slightly bubbly. This ensures the jam will remain a solid layer beneath the custard and also protects the case from any custard seeping through. Allow this to cool while you prepare the custard.
Reduce oven temperature to 120°C (250°F). To your infused cream, add the sugar and salt and reheat until simmering. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved. In a separate heatproof bowl, whisk the eggs and yolks vigorously while slowly streaming the hot cream/sugar mixture inside the bowl. This ‘tempers’ the eggs by slowly raising their temperature and emulsifying them with the cream so that no egg bits will scramble while cooking. Remove the vanilla bean. You can pass this mixture through a sieve if you’re concerned about egg bits, but I never have this issue so feel free to skip. Place the tart case on a tray for easier maneuvering, then gently transfer the custard into the tart case (you can transfer to a pitcher and then the case if your bowl is too wide). Dust with vanilla bean powder if using [recipe below].
Transfer to oven and bake for 30 minutes. Check the set of the custard by giving it a little shake. We’re looking for a roughly 3-inch wobble in the centre of the tart. We want a wobble, not a ripple: the custard should move as a single mass and if there are any ripples that appear to travel through the custard, it needs more time. You may need to bake as long as 45 minutes, but check every 5 minutes beyond 30.
Remove and allow to cool completely. This is super yummy room-temp OR cold, so feel free to fridge before slicing.
Serving Suggestion: I love this on its own, but a little whipped, lightly sweetened crème fraîche or yogurt would lend this some lovely tang.
Storage: Keep sealed in the fridge for 2-3 days. Pastry will soften in the fridge, so it’s ideally eaten the day-of, but I think the texture is still lovely days later.
Vanilla Bean Dust
Cut the tough ends of the vanilla pod(s), split in half, and bake at 170°C (340°F) for 15-20 minutes. Or you can dehydrate if you have that option. Leave to cool completely, then blitz in a food processor until fine. Pass this through a sieve and discard any large or hard bits. You now have a flavourful, gorgeous powder to sprinkle on this tart and anything else that could use a vanilla speckle. Store in an airtight container at room temp. I’ve had mine for months and it’s still good.
Making a 9-inch tart: I know many don’t have both an 8 and 9-inch tart tin. If you’re making an 8-inch, you will have about 25% of the pastry lost to trimming. If you’re making a 9-inch tart, you will use most of the pastry.
Here are the custard and jam numbers for a 9-inch tart:
Custard
530g double cream (if you only have access to ‘heavy cream’ [36-40% fat], that works fine here but the tart will have a firmer set and be less rich and silky)
1 vanilla bean (or skip infusion and use 1.25 tsp vanilla paste or 1-2 tsp vanilla extract)
125g caster sugar
2.5g salt
125g eggs (whisk 3 eggs vigorously, then weigh. Two very large eggs may suffice)
63g egg yolks (whisk 4 egg yolks, then weigh)
Assembly
100-125g jam
Notes for Nerds:
I use Freee Plain White Flour here. If making your own blend, it should be 50% starch (like arrowroot, cornflour, potato starch or tapioca flour), 25% lighter-protein flour (such as brown rice flour or millet), and 25% heavier-protein flour (like buckwheat, sorghum or white teff). If using a blend with xanthan gum already included, and it doesn’t state the concentration of xanthan gum, assume it has 1/4 tsp (0.75g) per 120g flour and adjust this recipe accordingly. If it bakes too crumbly, slightly increase xanthan gum next time; If it bakes too gummy/stodgy, slightly decrease xanthan gum next time.
I recommend purchasing a scale that detects tenths of grams, because xanthan gum is both very ‘packable’ (ie the quantity can change significantly if compressed or if scooped while fluffy) and very potent, meaning small differences in quantity can impact your bakes. I use a JSR-150 for weighing gum/salt/baking powder/etc. I purchased it from BakeryBits for £17.
If you’ve never made a baked tart before, I think this is a great place to start and I’m here for you if you need any advice or troubleshooting. Ciao!