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Lavender crème brûlée tarts
Makes 12 Cakes, Bread and Pastries
Ingredients
- 8 egg yolks
- 200g caster sugar
- 250ml whole milk
- 250ml whipping cream (35% fat)
- 2 vanilla pods, halved lengthways and seeds scraped
- lavender essence, to taste
- lavender sprigs, to decorate (optional)
- blowtorch and 12 tartlet tins with a 7.5cm diameter, or 1 x 25cm loose-bottomed tart ring or tin
- 900g Shortbread Pastry (see recipe in Cakes, Bread and Pastries)
Method
Put the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl, add half the sugar and whisk until well combined. Make sure you start whisking as soon as you pour the sugar into the egg yolks, to avoid ‘burning’ them.
Put the milk, cream and vanilla pods and seeds in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove the pan from the heat and, whisking continuously, gradually pour the hot cream onto the egg mixture. Strain the custard mixture through a fine sieve into a jug. Set aside to cool, then return the vanilla pods to the mixture and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of 4mm, dusting with a little extra flour if necessary to stop the dough from sticking.
Using a 12cm round cutter, cut the pastry into 12 rounds. Line the base and sides of the tins with pastry, then chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line each pastry case with foil, making sure the sides are covered, then fill to the top with uncooked rice or baking beans. Blind bake for 20 minutes, or until the base is golden (the cooking time is the same for both the small tarts and the single tart). Remove the rice and foil, then set the tart shells aside until cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 90C/195F.
Remove the custard mixture from the fridge, remove and discard the vanilla pods, then add a few drops of lavender essence, to taste. (Be careful not to overdo it as essences are very concentrated and can quickly overpower other flavours.)
To avoid spillage, place the tart cases on a baking tray and place in the preheated oven. Pour in the custard filling, being careful not to overfill the cases or the filling will run over the sides and the pastry will become soggy underneath. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the filling just wobbles when the tart is gently shaken. Set aside to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 3 hours.
Remove from the fridge 15 minutes before serving and sprinkle the remaining sugar evenly over the tarts, including the pastry crust. Using a domestic blowtorch, brown the tops until caramelised. Serve with sprigs of fresh lavender (optional).
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