MRS LOCKWOOD’S RECIPES — No. 5
“A good custard needs eggs, milk and patience. You’ll notice I’ve not mentioned fiddling with it.”
You Will Need
For the pastry
- 7 oz plain flour
- 3½ oz cold butter
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- A pinch of salt
- 2–3 tbsp cold water
For Mrs Lockwood’s custard
- 3 large eggs
- 2 additional egg yolks
- Approximately 1 pint rich whole milk
- Approximately 3½ fl oz thick cream
- 3 oz caster sugar
- A generous grating of fresh nutmeg
THE OSSY DIFFERENCE
Use the richest whole milk you can get.
Mrs Lockwood isn’t going to transform custard tart with exotic ingredients. Her boast is that hers tastes better because she refuses to water down the important bits.
“If you can see through your milk, take it back.”
😂
MRS LOCKWOOD’S METHOD
Put the flour into a large bowl with the salt and sugar.
Cut the cold butter into small pieces and rub it lightly through the flour with your fingertips until everything resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the cold water a little at a time until the pastry just comes together.
Do not keep adding water because it makes your life easier.
MRS LOCKWOOD SAYS…
“You’re making pastry, not Lancashire weather.”
Bring the dough together gently with your hands. Don’t knead it.
Cover with a clean cloth and leave somewhere properly cool for approximately half an hour.
PREPARE THE CASE
Roll the rested pastry on a lightly floured board and use it to line a well-buttered tart tin.
Trim the edges neatly.
Prick the base lightly with a fork, then cover the pastry with a piece of clean greased paper and fill with dried beans or rice to keep the bottom flat.
Bake in a moderately hot oven at approximately 350°F / Gas Mark 4 for about 15 minutes.
Remove the paper and beans and return the pastry case to the oven for another five minutes, until it has just begun to colour.
Don’t let it become dark.
It has another journey to make.
THE CUSTARD
Put the eggs, additional yolks and caster sugar into a bowl and beat them together gently.
Warm the milk and cream in a saucepan.
Warm. Not boiling.
If it boils, Mrs Lockwood will know.
Gradually pour the warm milk and cream into the eggs, stirring continuously as you do so.
Do not beat great quantities of air into it. This is custard, not a competition.
Carefully pour the mixture into the warm pastry case.
Then grate fresh nutmeg generously across the surface.
And this is one place where Mrs Lockwood would absolutely refuse economy.
“If you’re going to put nutmeg on it, people ought to be able to find it.”
THE IMPORTANT PART
Lower the oven to approximately 320°F / Gas Mark 3.
Bake for around 30–35 minutes.
Now comes the test.
The outside of the custard should be set.
The very centre should still possess the slightest wobble when the tart is gently moved.
Not liquid.
Not solid.
A wobble.
**“A CUSTARD SHOULD WOBBLE.
IF IT RUNS, YOU’VE MADE A DRINK.”**
There is our Herald headline. 😂
Take the tart from the oven and leave it completely alone until cool.
The remaining warmth will finish setting the centre.
Cut only when properly cooled, using a clean sharp knife.
HOW MRS LOCKWOOD SERVES IT
No ice cream.
No fruit coulis.
No artistic scattering of anything.
One good slice of custard tart.
One cup of tea.
If you’re particularly fortunate, the edge piece.
MRS LOCKWOOD SAYS…
“If a custard tart needs decorating, something has already gone wrong.”
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