Earl Grey and Chocolate Custard Tart with Orange Shortbread Crust
A few years ago, my husband and I spent a day at Ashford Castle, a magical spot in the Galway county of Ireland. The castle sits at the edge of a lake (or lough) and the views are just as breathtaking as the castle itself. The tea room inside the castle has views of the lake as well, and we indulged in a decadent afternoon tea while watching a stunning wedding take place outside in front of the lake.
As part of my Creative Baking class, I was challenged to make a pie based on a memory of a place, and that castle tea room became my inspiration. Think buttery, crumbly scones, clotted cream, marmalade, beautiful pots of tea, elaborate fruit & custard filled pastries, and chocolate treats. So my tart has a creamy Earl Grey tea and white chocolate custard filling, a crust made of buttery shortbread cookies and orange zest, and a generous layer of shaved chocolate and strips of orange zest on top on top. I liked white chocolate the best as a pairing, my husband liked dark, so I used both! I hope you enjoy.
Photos by Daniel Marks
Earl Grey and Chocolate Custard Tart with Orange Shortbread Crust Recipe:
Yield:
1, 9-inch tart
Difficulty:
Moderate
Special equipment:
9-inch tart pan with removable bottom
Ingredients:
For the crust:
225 grams shortbread cookies (I like Walkers shortbread cookies, or Whole Foods 365 brand)
2 TBSP orange zest
1 gram coarse kosher salt (1/8 tsp Mortons 1/4 tsp Diamond crystal)
2-3 TBSP unsalted butter, melted (more as needed)
1 TBSP granulated sugar
For the custard:
2 cups half & half
3 TBSP loose Earl Grey tea leaves or 3 Earl Grey tea bags
4 large egg yolks
½ cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
24 grams all purpose flour
4 TBSP unsalted butter, cubed
28 grams (1 ounce) white chocolate, finely chopped
½ tsp vanilla extract
Topping:
56 grams (2 ounces) Shaved white or dark chocolate (or both!)
Orange zest strips to decorate (optional)
Instructions:
Prepare the crust:
Place shortbread cookies in a processor and pulse until they are fine crumbs. Add sugar, orange zest and salt and pulse until visibly blended. Taste the mixture and adjust as desired.
This can also be done by hand: Crush the cookies then combine with sugar, orange zest and salt with a whisk.
Add 2 TBSP melted butter to the cookie mixture and pulse or stir until well combined and a crumbly dough forms. If the dough doesn’t hold together. Add a little more melted butter until it does.
Turn mixture out into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and sides of pan. This may take a little time with the crumbly dough. Pressing with a large measuring cup can help smooth it out. Place inside the freezer, uncovered, for 30 minutes to firm up and preheat the oven to 350° F.
Once the oven is fully heated, remove the crust from the freezer and press foil into the bottom and sides of the crust. Fill with pie weights (uncooked dried dried beans or rice works too) and bake for 10-12 minutes. The edges should look dry and a shade darker. Remove from oven, carefully remove foil and pie weights then return to the oven for another 5-7 minutes or until the bottom is fully cooked and looks dry. Remove from oven and let the crust cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
Prepare the custard:
Heat half-and-half in medium saucepan over medium heat until it starts to simmer. Meanwhile, whisk yolks, sugar, and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Add flour to yolk mixture and whisk until incorporated. Place the bowl and whisk next the stove.
As soon as the half & half starts to simmer, remove the saucepan from heat, add the tea, cover, and let it steep off the heat for approximately 5 minutes. Being careful not to burn your tongue, taste the cream and make sure you can fully taste the tea. Strain out the tea leaves and return the flavored half & half to the saucepan. If using tea bags, squeeze out any cream that remains inside the bags back into the saucepan
Heat the pan of half & half again to just simmering, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to make sure it doesn't burn. Remove pan from heat, take ½ cup of the half & half from the pan and slowly pour it into the egg mixture whisking constantly. Continuing to whisk, pour the egg mixture back into the the saucepan with the rest of the half & half.
Return saucepan to medium heat and cook, still whisking, until mixture thickens slightly, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, whisking constantly, for 8 minutes. Increase heat to medium and cook, whisking vigorously, until bubbles burst on surface, 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and whisk in butter and white chocolate until melted and incorporated. Whisk in the vanilla. Pour into a separate bowl, press plastic wrap directly on top of the mixture and let it cool for about a half hour. Spread it evenly in the crust then refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours uncovered. It doesn't need to look perfect on top because you'll be covering it up with chocolate, just get it evenly distributed.
To serve:
Once cooled, shave chocolate with the large whole of a box grater. (A vegetable peeler works too but the box grater is easier!) Sprinkle shaved chocolate over top of the pie, then place orange zest on top of that if desired.
Want to do the half white / half dark chocolate decoration like I did? It’s easy. Just cover one half of the pie with a piece of paper while you’re sprinkling the chocolate. Then slide it over for the second side. See this post of my Vanilla Custard Pie for detailed photos.
The tart will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days, but the crust will start to soften.
