Custard Tart

I have always wanted to bake this classic French dessert, but it sounded intimidating to me for some reason. I finally decided to give it a try, and it turned out so delicious.

It is made with a homemade puff pastry and a pastry cream flavoured with Blue vanilla from Reunion Island.

Ingredients for a 24 cm custard tart:

Puff pastry:

• 70 g flour (type 45)

• 70 g flour (type 55)

• 70 ml water

• 4 ml white vinegar

• 1 g salt

• 35 g unsalted dry butter + 105 g unsalted dry butter

Vanilla Pastry Cream:

• 600 ml full-fat/whole milk

• 600 ml water

• 6 eggs

• 98 g cornstarch (Maïzena)

• 6 g blue vanilla powder (or 3 vanilla beans)

• 315 g blond cane sugar

The recipe has to be done over two days. The day before, infuse the vanilla powder in the milk and keep it in the fridge overnight. The next day, make the puff pastry (I advise you to get up quite early), the vanilla pastry cream, bake the custard tart, and leave it overnight in the fridge.

Instructions:

Puff pastry:

1. Dilute the salt and vinegar in the water. Reserve.

2. In a large bowl, sift the two flours together and add the 35 g diced softened butter.

3. Pour in the water, salt, and vinegar mixture and mix everything. Avoid overworking the dough to not develop gluten. Stop working it as soon as you can form a ball.

4. Film the dough and leave it in the fridge for 2 hours.

5. Take out butter from the fridge and cut rectangles lengthwise to obtain 105 g of butter.

6. Place it between two plastic films and roll it out to make a 20 x 15 cm rectangle.

1. Then place the rectangle of butter for 5 minutes in the freezer.

2. After 2 hours of rest, take out the dough, flour your work surface lightly, and spread it out into a rectangle of 30 x 15 cm. Straighten up the sides with your hands, and try to keep the top and bottom edges as square as possible.

1. Then place the rectangle of butter on the dough, aligning it as much as possible at the bottom and leaving 10 cm of dough at the top.

2. Fold the 10 cm of dough on the butter, then fold the dough’s bottom.

You have just made a simple turn.

1. Lift it with one hand and flour your countertop again.

2. Place the fold on the left by giving the dough a quarter-turn.

3. Roll out the dough again into a 30 x 15 cm rectangle.

4. This time fold the bottom of the dough, then the top.

You just did a simple second turn. Film the dough and refrigerate for another 2 hours.

1. After the 2 hours of rest, repeat the operation earlier by placing the fold again on the left and reforming the rectangle of 30 x 15 cm. You will arrive at 4 single turns.

2. Put the dough back in the fridge for additional 2 hours.

3. After 2 hours of rest:

• Repeat the operation, always placing the fold on the left.

• Roll out the dough.

• Place it in a springform tin/pan that has been buttered and floured.

• Put it back in the fridge while you prepare your pastry cream.

Summary of rest times:

- Realization of the dough + 2 hours of rest in the fridge - 2 simple turns + 2 hours of rest in the fridge - 2 simple turns + 2 hours of rest in the fridge - The last 2 simple turns + cool down while making the filling.

Blue vanilla pastry cream:

1. In a saucepan, bring the vanilla milk and water to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whiten the eggs with the sugar.

3. Then add the sifted cornstarch while continuing to whisk.

4. Off the heat, add the milk to the egg mixture, stirring at the same time.

5. Let it heat and thicken again, stirring with a whisk, for about 3 minutes. Reserve.

6. Preheat the oven to 170°C/338°F.

7. Take the tin off the fridge and pour the pastry cream over the pastry.

8. Bake at 170°C/338°F for around 1h10.

9. Take out of the oven, let it cool for about twenty minutes, turn out onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely.

10. Place in the fridge overnight and serve the next morning.