Custard Tart (Tuscany)

Desserts

Ingredients

Pastry:

All purpose flour - 2 1/2 cups

Butter - 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsps

Granulated sugar - 1/2 cup

Egg yolks - 3

Salt - pinch

Baking soda - pinch

Grated rind of 1 lemon

Custard:

Egg yolks - 4

Sugar - 6 tbsps

Milk - 2 1/2 cups

All purpose flour - 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsps

Whole rind of 1 lemon

Butter and flour for pie pan

Egg, beaten - 1

Confectioners sugar

Pastry : Sift the flour into  bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and egg yolks, salt, baking soda and lemon rind. Work to a smooth dough but do not handle it more than necessary. Cover and leave in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Custard: Beat the egg yolks with the sugar unti smooth. Mix the milk into the flour, stirring all the time, to make a smooth batter. Pour this into a pan, add the rind and cook over a low heat until the mixture thickens like a sauce and no longer tastes of raw flour. Take the pan from the heat and pour the sauce into the beaten eggs, stirring all the time. Return it to the pan and continue to cook over a low heat until it thickens again. Pour into a bowl, remove the rind and leave to cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.

Butter and lightly flour a pie pan about 11 inches in diameter. Roll out a little more than half of the pastry and line the pan. Pour in the custard sauce and smooth over the top with a palette knife. Roll out  and cut the remaining pastry into strips to make a lattice pattern over the top of the custard. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and bake in a moderate oven (375F) for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and sprinkle with sifted confectioners sugar.