Pastry:
140g butter, chilled and diced
250g plain flour
Zest 1 lemon
100g golden caster sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbs whole milk
Custard:
250mL double cream
250mL milk
1 vanilla pod, split
1 strip lemon zest
Whole nutmeg
8 egg yolks
100g golden caster sugar
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 180 C/160 C fan. Line the case with baking beans, bake blind for 20 minutes, then remove the beans and continue to cook for a further 20 minutes until the base is biscuit-y. Remove from oven and reduce the temperature to 140 C/120 C fan.
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 consistently. Strain custard into a jug, allow to settle for a few minutes, then skim off any froth.
Carefully pour the custard into the tart case, grate some more nutmeg over the top and bake for 40 minutes, 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.
Credits: Barney Desmazery
Photo Credits: Myles New
