There are two separate techniques involved here. Making the savoury custard to hold all the ingredients together is simple. Making the pastry and lining the flan ring is more complicated. In fact, lining a flan ring with savoury or sweet pastry is one of the techniques that strikes fear into some cooks, and I have to be honest here and say that in the earlier days of my career I was one of those cooks who avoided the task whenever possible. But to progress as a cook, you sometimes have to bully yourself into performing a task that scares you a bit. It is really worth persevering with this technique, because once mastered it opens up hundreds of possible recipes of both a sweet and savoury nature, and you will have a great sense of achievement when you can approach the task with no fear.
Good eggs and butter are essential for the pastry, and the eggs feature again in the custard, along with cream, to give a rich and rather luscious consistency to the filling.
Read over the pastry section of the recipe a couple of times before starting, so that you have the different stages in your head. Making the pastry takes only a matter of minutes. What is vital to remember with a shortcrust pastry, is not to overhandle it. On the other hand I do sometimes think that some recipes urge too much caution as to the handling. So when you add the egg it should look like smooth pastry dough. If it doesn’t, and hasn’t come together, knead it a little more until it takes on that smooth and finished appearance.
Keys to success
The pastry is a ‘short crust’ and needs careful handling.
The ‘short’ in the pastry name refers to the amount of fat, generally butter, that is used. The more butter used, the shorter the pastry is, and this shortness refers to the pleasantly crumbly but not brittle texture of the cooked pastry. It is important not to confuse the word crumbly with collapsing. The tart must hold its shape both when cooking and being served. The dilemma here is that the more butter you add, the more difficult the pastry is to handle. So I suggest that to start with, you use half the weight of butter to flour. When you can handle that with confidence, you can increase the quantity of butter a little, thereby achieving a finer pastry.
Weigh all the ingredients accurately.
Cold butter is first rubbed into the flour to achieve a texture like fine breadcrumbs. This can be done by hand or in a food processor. If you are using a food processor, it will happen quickly, but proceed with caution using the pulse button to ensure the butter does not become overworked, as this may lead to a tough pastry.
The beaten egg is then added to the crumb and gently mixed to create a pastry dough that is neither too dry nor too wet, but can be rolled and manipulated to line your flan ring.
A pastry that is too wet will not hold its shape and will be tough and flabby when cooked.
A pastry that is too dry is impossible to handle and shape and will be brittle and likely to collapse when cooked.
The pastry is chilled for at least 30 minutes before rolling and lining the flan ring. This takes practice to perfect. If it breaks a little the first time you do it, don’t panic – do a bit of patchwork and it will work out. If it is a complete fiasco, gather up all the bits of pastry, knead them gently together to form a disc, and have another go. It may not win best in show, but you will get a result and be learning as you go, so that the next time you make it you will be better equipped.
The flan ring is chilled for at least 30 minutes before being lined with parchment paper and filled to the brim with dry baking beans. The beans help to keep the base of the tart from rising and the sides from caving in.
The chilling periods are crucial, to prevent shrinkage of the pastry when it is cooking, resulting in a misshapen flan ring.
The cooking of the pastry is done in two stages. The first stage, which takes 90% of the cooking time, is done with the beans in it, and the second stage is removing the beans and parchment paper, giving the base of the pastry a light brush with beaten egg and returning the pastry to the oven to finish cooking. Brushing with egg helps to create a seal on the base of the tart, resulting in a crisper bottom and avoiding the dreaded ‘soggy bottom syndrome’!
Pastry lined with paper and full to the brim with baking beans and rice
Shortcrust pastry
24cm tart 175g plain flour
Pinch of salt
85g butter, cold from the fridge
1 egg
First make the pastry
Sieve the flour into a bowl. Add a pinch of salt. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and add to the flour. Rub the butter into the flour until it looks like very fine crumbs. This part of the process can also be done in a food processor using the pulse button to break up the butter, but I always like to add the beaten egg by hand in a bowl.
Beat the egg thoroughly, then, using a fork or your fingers, stir in just enough of it, 3–4 tablespoons, to bring the pastry together. Retain the remainder of the beaten egg for later. The dough should feel neither too firm nor too soft. Knead the pastry lightly, again for only a few seconds, to form a smooth mass. The pastry should not be sticking to your fingers. If it does, add a little sprinkle of flour and work in gently. Form the pastry into a little round disc, about 1cm thick. Wrap in greaseproof or parchment paper and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Lining the tin with the pastry
You will need a 24cm tart tin or flan ring, with a removable base. To line the flan ring, dust the worktop with flour. Place the flan ring on the dusted surface and with your fingers draw a circle in the flour around the tin, allowing an extra 2cm for the risen edge of the pastry. Remove the tin. This template should help you to roll the pastry as close to your circular requirements as possible.
If the pastry is hard from the fridge, knead or massage it for a few seconds to make it malleable, always remembering that the less you handle the pastry the better. Place on the floured surface and dust the surface of the pastry with a little more flour. Gently roll the pastry with your rolling pin, rolling to the edge of the pastry but not out over the edges, as this causes the edges to be too thin and makes it difficult to handle when placing in the tin. I like to move the pastry on the work surface a few times during the rolling to prevent it from sticking. To do this, place the palm of your hand with fingers outstretched flat on the pastry and gently move it to and fro in a circular movement. If you feel it starting to catch, lift it and sprinkle a little more flour under it on to the work surface. Keep rolling until the pastry is of an even thickness and reaches the edges of the template you have drawn in the flour. Pop the tin on the pastry again just to be sure the disc is the right size.
Brush off the excess flour and roll the pastry around your rolling pin. Drape the pastry over the top of the flan ring. Gently encourage the pastry to drop into the ring and, with your fingers, firm it on to the base, into the corners and up along the sides of the ring. Allow an excess of 5mm of pastry for a raised edge. Pinch off the pastry by pressing your thumb on the top edge of the tin. Clean and neaten the edges to attain a smart finish. Chill the pastry for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
Baking the pastry ‘blind’
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Line the chilled pastry with a circle of greaseproof paper to come 2cm up over the edge of the tin. Fill to the top with dried baking beans or old rice.
Place the tart shell in the centre of the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the beans and paper. These can be saved for another day. Paint the base and sides of the pastry lightly with a little of the leftover beaten egg. Return to the oven for a further 5 minutes. This will help to crisp up the base and make it liquid-proof. Remove from the oven and place the tin on a wire rack to cool.
Spinach and herb tart
The spinach in this recipe can be replaced successfully with Swiss chard. If you choose to use baby spinach, there is no need to remove the stalks. Serve the tart with a salad of leaves or vine-ripened tomatoes and