Custard Creams

I love foods that evoke a nostalgic sense of well-being within me. Invariably many of these foods are either comfort foods or foods that I would consider “treats” and all of them originate from childhood memories. When I was a child, the only biscuits that were ever bought with any regularity were plain digestive or Rich Tea biscuits. Chocolate covered digestives, sugary Nice biscuits, Bourbon Creams or Custard Creams were only ever purchased for so-called “special occasions”. I especially loved Christmas time when friends and neighbours would give us large tins containing a selection of different types of biscuits. These foods hold a special place in my memory specifically because we didn’t get to eat them all that often.

This is not to suggest that we were not given great foods and lovely things to eat; my grandmother was an amazing cook and always served the most delicious homemade meals often including fabulous desserts or cakes that she had baked.

 

However, there are certain foods, that when I eat them, even now, make me feel as if I am being a little self-indulgent. Being a somewhat ungrateful and greedy child I always yearned to eat shop-bought biscuits and cakes. To me, they were the epitome of sophisticated food… how little I knew then and how it wasn’t until later in life when I began to really appreciate what good food, using quality ingredients tasted like, how privileged and fortunate we were to have someone like my grandmother regularly cooking these things for us.

Chief amongst my childhood must-haves were custard cream biscuits. I just loved them. The creamy buttercream like filling sandwiched between two crisp shortbread like biscuits. I loved the fact that the biscuits had a pattern on them…this seemed to further emphasize the almost debauched and frivolous nature of the biscuits and made them feel all the more appealing to eat.

 

The recipe that I give here is in homage to the custard cream biscuits of my childhood. They taste fabulous and like their mass-produced cousins are very moreish to eat – one is never enough.

I used an imprint mat that I use for cake decorating to press a pattern on to the biscuit dough prior to baking. I still want to play around with the consistency of the biscuit dough, as I want to perfect one that has a smoother finish after baking, but I will give this recipe here as it just tasted so good and the finished biscuits look so pretty.

I was surprised how well these biscuits kept, even after they were filled, still retaining their crispness and biscuity texture.
 

Ingredients:

200g plain flour
50g custard powder

1 tsp baking powder

75g caster sugar

125g butter

1 medium egg

1 tblsp milk

Filling:

75g butter, softened

125g icing sugar

25g custard powder
 

Method:

1. Sieve the flour, custard powder, baking powder into a bowl. Add the butter and using your fingertips, rub the butter in until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and stir through.
2. Add the milk and the egg and using a fork mix into the flour mixture until everything comes together to form a dough Wrap the dough in cling-film and chill in the fridge for at least half an hour.

3. Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/ Gas Mark 4.
4. Line two large baking trays with non-stick baking parchment. Lightly flour your work-surface and roll out the dough until it is about 3mm thick. Using a rectangular cookie cutter (4.5 cms x 3cms) or other cutter of your choice stamp out individual cookies.

5. Put the cookies on the prepared baking trays and bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes until a light golden colour. Allow to cool for five minutes and then transfer on to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

Filling:

6. Place the butter, icing sugar and custard powder into a bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer, beat together until smooth.

7. Use the filling to sandwich the biscuits together in pairs.
 

Makes 20 sandwiched biscuits.

      

Pear Custard Tart

Pears and almonds taste wonderful together and whilst I often make pear frangipane tarts, I wanted to make something a little different this time. I had a couple of boxes of amaretti leftover after Christmas and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to exploit their wonderful, intensely almond flavour. Initially, I was going to make a set pear cheesecake using crumbled amaretti for the base of the cheesecake; but then I decided to be a little bit more adventurous and make a pear custard tart into which I would crumble some of the amaretti. My brother had recently given me a gift of a bottle of Poires William – a wonderful pear flavoured liqueur and I felt that a generous splash of this in the custard would be delicious and would further accentuate the pear elements of this dessert.

I know that I have recently posted quite a few tart recipes, but this is because I love the fact that they can be prepared beforehand and served up when required. I am equally fond of both sweet and savoury tarts and find that using basic cooking skills and techniques; they can be easily adapted to include a range of ingredients that you may have hanging around in the fridge or at the back of the kitchen cupboard.

This tart is really tasty and looks so elegant – I was delighted with how it turned out. Despite being pre-soaked with the pear liqueur, they retain some of their crunch, which adds a pleasing contrast to the soft creaminess of the tart as whole. For this reason, it is important that you use the hard and not the soft type of amaretti.

I have not sweetened the custard as the pears were poached in a sugar syrup and I felt that this added enough sweetness. At a very fundamental level, I wanted the focus of this tart to be on the pears, and everything else to complement and not distract from their wonderful taste. It also occurred to me that a few hard gingernut biscuits might also work very well in place of the amaretti.

Ingredients:

Pastry:
175g plain flour

50g icing sugar

100g butter, cubed

1 egg yolk

1 tblsp cold water

To poach the pears:

3 pears, peeled, halved and cored

75g caster sugar

150ml water

Filling:

75g amaretti biscuits (the hard type)

2 tblsp Poires William

175ml double cream

2 large eggs

A little icing sugar for dusting the finished tart
 

Method:

Make pastry:
1. Sieve the flour and icing sugar into a large bowl. And the diced butter and using your fingertips, rub into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Make a well in the centre and add the egg yolk and water and mix using a fork until everything comes together. Turn out on to a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly to form into a ball. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to rest for at least half an hour.

To blind-bake the pastry:

3. Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan Oven 170C/Gas Mark 5.

4. Roll out the pastry thinly on a lightly floured work-surface. Use to line a 20cm round x 4cm high tart tin with removable base. Prick the pastry several times with a fork. Place some non-stick baking parchment on the pastry and then fill with baking beans. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes, removing the parchment and the baking beans for the final five minutes until the pastry is cooked and a light golden brown colour.

5. Remove from the oven and set aside.

To poach the pears:

6. Place the pears in a small saucepan with the water and sugar. Bring up to the boil and then reduce heat and simmer gently until the pears are just poached – this should take 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool a little.

To finish the tart:

7. Place the amaretti in a bowl and sprinkle over the Poires William. Separately whisk together the cream and eggs and pour on top of the soaking amaretti.

8. Drain the pears and arrange neatly, cut-side down on the base of the tart case. Gently pour over the amaretti custard filling and bake in the pre-heated oven for approximately 45 minutes until firm and set.

9. Remove from oven when cooked and allow to cool still slightly warm, dusted with a little icing sugar.

Serves 6-8.
 

     

Leek Tart

Every now and then I like to cook or bake something which does not contain meat. I am not a vegetarian, but I have never felt that I HAVE to eat meals which always contain meat. In truth, I love most vegetables and I am particularly drawn to dishes that celebrate the wonderful qualities and tastes of individual vegetables.

I think that leeks are an underused vegetable and too often people only consume them as an ingredient coupled with potatoes in a soup. Although I love a good leek and potato soup or the classic chilled Vichyssoise, I believe that leeks have so much more to offer and a far more adaptable than many people think. With their mild, subtle onion flavour they have a sophisticated taste which is fabulous.

 

Leeks pair together so well with cheese, eggs, cream and other dairy products and this is a combination that I love to exploit and experiment with! Leek gratins, made with your favourite cheese of choice are particularly good - I especially like to use a mild blue cheese such as Cashel Blue which is delicious. Dishes like these can be used as accompaniments but if served with some crusty bread can form the basis of a meal in their own right.

 

With the above point in mind, and given leeks’ natural affinity with cheese, eggs and cream, I decided to make a tart that included all these ingredients. This would be a great dish luncheon dish served with a lightly dressed, fresh, leafy-green salad.
 

Make sure to taste the filling as you go along, seasoning generously, because the tart really does need it and it will make all the difference to the finished dish. I added a generous spoonful of wholegrain mustard at the last moment because I felt that it needed “something else”. I am delighted that I did, because the slight piquancy of the mustard really accentuated the sweetness of the leeks. This is a lovely tart and whilst there are a few steps involved, the labour is worth it.
 

Ingredients:

Pastry:
200g plain flour

100g cold butter, diced

1 egg yolk

1-2 tblsp water

Filling:

50g butter

500g leeks, sliced lengthways and then chopped into ½ cm pieces

1 onion cut in half and then sliced

½ tblsp plain flour

250ml milk

150ml double cream

1 large egg

3 large egg yolks

75g Gruyere cheese, grated

1 tblsp wholegrain mustard
 

Method:

Pastry:
1. Place the flour into a large mixing bowl and then tip in the diced butter. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre and add the egg yolk and water. Use a fork to bring the mixture together and form into a ball before wrapping in cling film and chilling in the fridge for at least half an hour.
To make the filling:

2. Heat the butter in a large saucepan. Add the sliced leeks and onions and cook over low heat for about half an hour, stirring regularly. Season to taste. After half an hour or so and once the leeks and onions have softened, but not coloured sprinkle in the flour and stir. Cook for a further 3-4 minutes, stirring continually.

3. Gradually stir in the milk and cream and once the mixture is smooth, cook gently for a further 10 to 15 minutes to cook out the flour. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool. Make sure to season well.

4. When cooled stir in the egg and egg yolks, followed by the cheese and wholegrain mustard.

To finish:

5. Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan Oven 170C/Gas Mark 5.

6. Roll out the pastry thinly on a lightly floured surface and gently lay 23cm loose bottomed tart tin. Line the pastry with baking parchment and then fill with baking beans. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, removing the parchment and baking beans for the final 5-10 minutes of baking. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

7. Reduce the oven temperature to 170C/Fan Oven 150C/Gas Mark 3.

8. Pour the filling into the baked tart case and smooth the surface. Bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes until the tart has set and is a golden colour. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

Serves 8-10.

Rice Pudding Tart

I am delighted with how this tart turned out as it was born out of a desire not to let some leftover homemade rice pudding go to waste and be thrown out.

I regularly make homemade rice pudding as it just represents the ultimate in comfort food to me; it is warm, sweet and creamy and because it is so delicious I always want just another “little spoonful” even though I have usually eaten loads of it already! I made rice pudding the other day and despite my best attempts, was unable to eat it all, so I covered it and put it into the fridge. At the best of times, I like chilled rice pudding, but this time I decided to experiment a little.

It occurred to me that the basic creamy rice-pudding that I make would make a wonderful tart if enriched with some egg yolks. So I made some sweet shortcrust pastry, and blind-baked a tart shell. When cool, I spread some raspberry jam in a thin layer on the bottom of the tart and then covered it with the rice pudding mixture before popping it into a moderate oven to bake for about half an hour. It really was quite simple and resulted in an elegant looking tart which, most importantly, tasted fabulous!
 
Some of the tastiest dishes happen almost by accident without any great planning and they result in the creation of something beyond your expectations. This was the case with this tart and I will admit that I was completely chuffed with how it turned out. I predict that, in future, I will deliberately cook too much rice pudding, just so that I have the opportunity to make this tart again.

 

The rice pudding and the sweet shortcrust pastry were made using the recipes that I have previously posted.

 

Ingredients:

1 x 20cm round sweet shortcrust pastry tart shell, blind-baked (leave in its baking tin)
500g leftover cold rice-pudding

3 egg yolks

2 generous tblsp of raspberry jam

A little icing sugar to dust over the top of the finished tart
 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/Fan Oven 140/Gas Mark 2.
2. Spread the raspberry jam in a thin layer on the bottom of the blind-baked tart case. Mix the egg yolks thoroughly into the rice-pudding and pour this evenly on top of the raspberry jam.
3. Place the tart tin on a baking tray and bake in the pre-heated oven until the rice pudding is just set and the top of the tart is a pale golden colour.

4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

5. Serve dusted with a little icing sugar.

Serves 6-8. 

    

Raspberry & Hazelnut Meringue Cake

There are certain flavour combinations that are just meant to be. One of my favourite is that of raspberries with hazelnuts – add in some softly whipped cream and something delicious is created.

 

Raspberries can be extraordinarily expensive to buy and on one level this is understandable. As a soft fruit, they spoil easily and have a relatively short supermarket shelf-life. Added to this, they have to be carefully hand-picked and packed so that the fruit is not damaged. I resent paying exorbitant prices for raspberries, but I find the taste of them so difficult to resist, so from time-to-time will purchase them.

 

If you are lucky enough to have the space to grow your own raspberries, I urge you to do so. Both summer-fruiting and autumn-fruiting varieties can be grown and in my experience they are a fairly undemanding plant to grow. Given favourable growing conditions and a little care and attention, you will be rewarded with a large harvest of juicy berries which can be used in numerous ways.

 

In making the meringue, which forms the basis of this dessert cake, the usual rules apply; make sure that your bowl and other implements are spotlessly clean and that not a trace of egg yolk gets in to your egg whites when you are separating them. If any yolk gets into the whites, they just will not whip up into the soft peaks that are required for this recipe and you will have to start anew with fresh egg whites! Other than this one critical aspect of the recipe, everything else is fairly plain sailing and it is easy to prepare.

 

I have used hazelnuts, because they go so well with raspberries, but you could experiment with other ground nuts. Almonds also work very well, but experiment using other nuts if you feel so inclined. Some melted dark chocolate drizzled over the top would not go astray but I actually like the simplicity of it without added chocolate.

 

Ingredients:

120g ground toasted hazelnuts
4 large egg whites

225g caster sugar

2 tsp white wine vinegar

To serve:

1 punnet of fresh raspberries (about 150g)

250ml carton single cream
 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/Gas Mark 4.  Base-line two 20cm sandwich tine with non-stick baking parchment and grease the inside edges of the tins with flavourless vegetable oil. Set aside.

2. Whisk the egg whites in a scrupulously clean bowl until they form stiff peaks. Gradually add the caster sugar whisking all the time, until the sugar has been fully incorporated and the mixture is stiff and glossy. Mix through the vinegar and then fold in the nuts. Divide the mixture evenly between the two sandwich tins sand level the surface. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 35 minutes or until the meringue is firm to the touch. Switch off the oven and allow the meringues to cool completely in the oven. When cold, remove from the tins and peel off the baking parchment.

To finish:

3. Whisk the cream until it just softly holds it shape. Spread 2/3 of the cream on the top of one of the meringues and evenly scatter over half of the raspberries. Gently place the other meringue on top. Using a disposable piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle, pipe the rest of the cream on the top of the uppermost meringue and decorate with the remaining raspberries

Serves 6.