How to make a bay and vanilla crème brûlée custard tart

Bay leaves are an excellent tool for infusing dishes with a warm, floral note. They add depth and complexity to dishes without overpowering other flavours.

Bay and vanilla crème brûlée custard tart with poached pears

Ingredients:

For the tart case (or use bought sweet shortcrust)

200g plain flour

100g unsalted butter, diced

50g icing sugar

1 egg yolk

2–3 tbspn cold water

For the custard filling

600ml whipping cream

6 fresh bay leaves

6 egg yolks

100g caster sugar

Freshly grated nutmeg

4 tbspn caster sugar

Method:

In a large bowl, use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs and then stir through the icing sugar.

Add the egg yolk and cold water and mix until it comes together and forms a dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 160˚C fan/180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a 20cm (8in) tart tin. Trim off the excess dough, prick the base with a fork and then freeze for 15 minutes.

Blind bake the tart case by adding scrunched up parchment paper (so it fills the corners) and baking beans. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the paper and beans, brush with beaten egg and bake for a further five minutes. This step ensures the base is sealed, so the filling won’t make it soggy. Set aside.

Make the custard filling by heating the whipping cream and bay leaves until almost boiling, then leave to infuse for 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

Whisk together the egg yolks and caster sugar, then pour over the infused cream. Strain into the tart case and grate over fresh nutmeg.

Reduce the oven temperature to 140˚C fan/160˚C/325˚F/gas mark 3 and bake the tart for 35–40 minutes, so the custard is set, but still has a wobbly centre. Allow the tart to cool completely and then chill for at least two hours.

Sprinkle an even layer of caster sugar over the chilled tart and use a kitchen blowtorch to caramelise the top, creating a crisp layer that will harden when it cools.

Serve the tart with poached pears (add a couple of bay leaves to your poaching liquor) or a fruit sorbet to balance the flavours.