Pear and Elderflower Custard Tart - makes 6 individual tarts

Danni Barry

Danni Barry

4th April 2017
Danni Barry

Pear and Elderflower Custard Tart - makes 6 individual tarts

My pear and elderflower custard tart recipe from the menu at the Michelin-starred, EIPIC in Belfast
Elderflower is abundant in the summer in the Irish countryside. We pick lots of it in season and then dry or pickle it for the autumn months. You could also make your own cordial which is great for adding to sparkling water or even Prosecco.
It's almost tropical floral flavour works really well with late summer and autumn fruits like apples and pears. In this recipe we infuse the flavour into the milk to make a rich custard.
We serve the pears warm and the granita cold so when eating you get 2 different flavour experiences. On a cold day you could just top with a nice crumble mixture with some almonds. Also this recipe works really well with apples too.

Ingredients

  • For the pastry:
  • 1packet of Feuilles De Brick pastry
  • 50g butter
  • 1 tsp honey
  • Caramelised pears:
  • 4 ripe pears (Rocha or pear William)
  • 50g pear juice
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 25ml cream
  • 50g butter
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • Elderflower custard:
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 egg
  • 200ml cream
  • 50ml milk
  • 55g sugar
  • 20g dried elderflower (a large handful of fresh elderflower)
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • Pear and elderflower granite:
  • 100ml diluted elderflower cordial
  • 200ml pear juice

Method

For the pastry:
Boil the butter and honey together. Cut the pastry into strips at the widest part of the sheet. Take a strip of pastry and brush with the honey butter, layer another on top and brush again. Wrap around a tart ring or case and bake in a hot oven at 180˚C for 8 - 10 mins until golden brown.
Caramelised pears:
Peel and chop the pears into cubes. In a saucepan heat the caster sugar until it begins to turn an amber coloured caramel. Add the butter, juice, cream, salt and vanilla to make a butterscotch style sauce, bring to the boil and add the pears. Bring the heat up again, stirring occasionally until the pears are coated in caramel and remove from the heat.
Elderflower custard:
In a saucepan heat the milk and cream with the elderflower until just below boiling. In a bowl whisk the eggs and sugar and cornflour. Pour the hot cream mixture on top whisking continuously. Pass the custard mix through a sieve into a saucepan and return to the heat stirring the mixture until it begins to thicken. Leave to cool.
Pear and elderflower granite:
Pour the 2 liquids into a lunchbox style container and freeze solid.
To serve:
Place the tart cases on a plate and cover the bottom with the warm pears.
Spoon the elderflower custard over the top. Remove the granita from the freezer and scrape with a fork. Cover the tart and serve.

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