Manchester Tart | ExpatWomanFood.com
 
 

Posted on

21 January 2016

by

Liz Robb

Manchester Tart

Manchester Tart

Ingredients

200g plain flour
A pinch of salt 110g cold butter or soft margarine A splash of cold water 3 heaped tablespoons of custard powder 2-3 tablespoons of sugar 550 ml milk Half a teaspoon of vanilla extract 4 tablespoons of raspberry jam 3 tablespoons of desiccated coconut

Preparation

  • Sieve the flour into a large cool bowl then mix in the salt. Cut the butter or margarine into small pieces and drop it into the bowl, then rub it in quickly and lightly with your fingertips until it reaches the breadcrumb stage.
  • Make a well in the middle, add cold water a little at a time
  • you will probably only need a few teaspoons. After each addition, use a knife to combine it with the flour mixture until it begins to come together. Finally, use cool hands to form the dough, wrap it in cling film and place in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 200 degrees or 180 degrees fan oven. Lightly grease the bottom and the rim of a 22cm loose bottomed flan tin.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry fairly thinly into a circle. Carefully roll it over the rolling pin and unroll it into the tin, then press the pastry gently into the prepared tin. Use a knife to trim off the excess pastry. Line the tart with baking parchment and baking beans then bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove the beans and parchment and leave to cool.
  • Meanwhile, make the custard. In a small bowl, mix the custard powder and sugar together with a few tablespoons of the cold milk to make a smooth paste. Stir in the vanilla extract. Heat the rest of the milk, tip some of it into the custard powder and sugar and mix, and then pour it all back into the hot milk, stirring continually over a low heat to make a thick, smooth custard. When the custard is ready, turn off the heat and allow to cool, but stir occasionally to stop a skin from forming.
  • Spoon the jam onto the pastry base and spread evenly, making sure you reach the edges. Spoon in the custard and spread that out on top of the jam. Sprinkle the coconut all over the top of the custard. Place in the fridge to chill for at least a couple of hours.
Cooks Note
  • Some recipes suggest adding a layer of thinly sliced bananas between the jam and the custard.
  • For a change, try sprinkling grated chocolate on top instead of coconut.
  • You can lower the sugar content by using a powdered sugar substitute, I think it tastes just as good.
  • If you’re really short of time, you can put this together really quickly using a shop bought pastry case and readymade custard.
  • For a more refined version, make a proper vanilla custard with egg yolks, double cream, sugar, cornflour and vanilla pods, add fresh raspberries instead of the jam, and serve with whipped cream.
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