The tart looks beautiful! Living outside of the UK, sourcing double cream is not easy. In Italy, there is a tart called torta della nonna which is basically a baked custard tart as well, but to set it they use starch (usually rice or corn) and has only milk not cream. I was wondering if that might work here. And I would love to see your version of torta della nonna, if you are up for a challenge!! It's one of my favorites but quite tricky to master.
I have never tried a Parisian Flan but the recipe and the texture do look similar! The main difference seems to be that Torta della Nonna uses a slightly more cake-y pastry dough, less short I think (called pasta frolla), and the custard is closed with another layer of pastry covered in pine nuts. It's delicious!
Nicola, can you answer a question that I’ve had for years about rolling out pastry for tarts: why can’t you just mix the pastry then roll it out and put it straight into the tart tin while it’s malleable and THEN rest it in the fridge in the tin before baking? It saves having to work with cold pastry / wait for it to warm back up but is there a reason to rest it before lining the tin? I do it all the time but wonder if I’m missing something. Thanks! 🙏
SOS. So I doubled the pastry case recipe as I only had a 10inch high sided tart tin. Within 5mins of its blind bake, the tart case started shrinking dramatically. I’ve never had it this extreme before. Do you think I should have chilled the case before putting it in the oven?
I also found it really hard to put the pastry into into the tin. Any tips on how to do this with a large high sided case tin?
This is probably the most delicious tart I’ve ever baked! Thank you for all your efforts into finding out the best proportions. I’ve made wild strawberry and champagne jam and slightly overdid the lemon so it has a touch bitter aftertaste, so it pairs perfectly with this custard. So simple yet so beautiful! Thank you again.
The tart looks beautiful! Living outside of the UK, sourcing double cream is not easy. In Italy, there is a tart called torta della nonna which is basically a baked custard tart as well, but to set it they use starch (usually rice or corn) and has only milk not cream. I was wondering if that might work here. And I would love to see your version of torta della nonna, if you are up for a challenge!! It's one of my favorites but quite tricky to master.
I will absolutely look into that!! Absolutely. Starch thickened custards are my fave. Does it have a similar texture to French flan?
Flan Parisian that is
I have never tried a Parisian Flan but the recipe and the texture do look similar! The main difference seems to be that Torta della Nonna uses a slightly more cake-y pastry dough, less short I think (called pasta frolla), and the custard is closed with another layer of pastry covered in pine nuts. It's delicious!
Nicola, can you answer a question that I’ve had for years about rolling out pastry for tarts: why can’t you just mix the pastry then roll it out and put it straight into the tart tin while it’s malleable and THEN rest it in the fridge in the tin before baking? It saves having to work with cold pastry / wait for it to warm back up but is there a reason to rest it before lining the tin? I do it all the time but wonder if I’m missing something. Thanks! 🙏
SOS. So I doubled the pastry case recipe as I only had a 10inch high sided tart tin. Within 5mins of its blind bake, the tart case started shrinking dramatically. I’ve never had it this extreme before. Do you think I should have chilled the case before putting it in the oven?
I also found it really hard to put the pastry into into the tin. Any tips on how to do this with a large high sided case tin?
Thank you!!!
Could I sub equal parts labneh in the custard instead of creme fraiche?
This is probably the most delicious tart I’ve ever baked! Thank you for all your efforts into finding out the best proportions. I’ve made wild strawberry and champagne jam and slightly overdid the lemon so it has a touch bitter aftertaste, so it pairs perfectly with this custard. So simple yet so beautiful! Thank you again.
Looks delicious - can’t wait to try! The Tarts Anon book is brilliant too - glad to see the mention!
How deep is the tin you used Nicola?