Easy Plum Custard Tart Recipe

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5 from 12 votes

Easy Plum Custard Tart Recipe

A buttery shortcrust pastry base filled with a sweet, spiced plum filling and a rich homemade vanilla custard.

Prep Time25

Cook Time50

Total Time1 15

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American, British

Servings:

Calories: 365kcal

Author: Claudia Ciorteanu

Equipment

9-inch Pie Dish (or tart tin)
Saucepan (medium)
Whisk (hand whisk is fine)
Rolling Pin
parchment paper
Pastry brush
cling film (plastic wrap)

Ingredients

For the Plum Filling

2.2 lbs plums 1 kg
⅔ cup brown sugar 140 g
1 teaspoon ground cloves

For the Custard

4 egg yolks large
6 tablespoon white sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup double cream (heavy cream)
Seeds from 1 vanilla pod seeds from 1 pod
3 teaspoon cornstarch (cornflour)

For the Crust

2 rolls 2 x 11 oz packs / 2 x 320 g packs shortcrust pastry
1 egg + 1 tablespoon milk for brushing
1 cup dry beans for blind baking

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Plum Filling: First, grab your plums! Wash them up, pop out the pits, and split them in halves. Throw the plums, brown sugar, and cloves into a saucepan over low heat. Just let it bubble gently, stirring now and then, until it gets super thick—like a chunky jam. This step is key so the filling isn't too runny! Slide it into a bowl and walk away; it must cool completely before we use it.
2.2 lbs plums, ⅔ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cloves
Prep the Creamy Custard Sauce: Okay, now for the cream! Whisk your 4 egg yolks with the white sugar until the mix is pale and thick. In a separate pan, warm your milk, cream, and vanilla seeds until it starts steaming (don't let it boil!).
4 egg yolks, 6 tablespoon white sugar, 1 cup milk, 1 cup double cream (heavy cream), Seeds from 1 vanilla pod, 3 teaspoon cornstarch (cornflour)
Here's the important trick: slowly pour just a tiny bit of the warm milk into the egg bowl while you whisk like crazy. This "tempers" the eggs so they don't scramble. Once that egg mix is warm, pour it all back into the milk pan.
Keep the heat low and whisk it constantly. Stir in the cornstarch fast! Keep whisking until the sauce gets thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour it out, cover it tightly with plastic wrap (touching the surface!), and let it cool completely
Bake and Finish the Tart: Line your 9-inch pie dish with the first pastry roll. Trim the edges.
2 rolls
Cover the pastry with paper, fill it with dry beans, and blind bake it at 350°F (180°C) for 15 minutes until it's light golden. The beans stop the bottom from puffing!
1 cup dry beans
Take the crust out from the oven, ditch the beans and paper. Spread the cooled plum filling all over the bottom of the crust. Cut strips from the second pastry roll and weave a lattice (a crisscross pattern) right over the plum filling.
Mix that extra egg with a splash of milk and brush it all over the pastry strips. Bake the tart at 400°F (200°C) for 25–30 minutes. You want it deep golden brown.
1 egg + 1 tablespoon milk
You have to be patient here—let the tart cool totally before you cut into it. When you're ready to serve, top each slice with a generous scoop of that cooled vanilla custard sauce we made!

Video

Notes

Cooling is Key: Make sure both the plum filling and the vanilla custard are completely cool before you add them to the pre-baked crust. Warm fillings cause soggy bottoms!
Preventing Cracks: To easily unroll store-bought shortcrust pastry, let it sit at room temperature for about 10–15 minutes first.
No Lumps: When mixing the cornstarch for the custard, whisk it with a tiny bit of cold milk or water before adding it to the warm cream mixture to prevent lumps.
Blind Baking Tip: You can reuse the same dry beans or rice for blind baking indefinitely; just store them separately and label them.
Crust Protection: If the lattice or crust edges start browning too quickly during the final bake, cover them gently with small strips of foil.
Serving: The tart must cool completely before slicing. For the best result, serve each slice with a generous scoop of the cooled vanilla custard sauce.

Nutrition