Merle Parrish is a legend in Australian baking circles – not only has she been baking [and winning] at country shows since a teenager but she has endeared herself as a judge on MasterChef Australia.
I received a copy of Merle’s Country Show Baking And Other Favourites in my day job as a journalist at The Leader newspaper, where I review cookbooks as part of My Hungry column.
I instantly loved the book as it is crammed full of nostalgic baking recipes.
The custard tart appealed as it is the Hungry Dad’s very favourite sweet treat. He is such a custard fancier that when we wee planning our wedding more than a decade ago he wanted to eschew cake in favour of custard. I declined.
Back to the recipe… Merle makes her pantry the old-fashioned way by hand but I cheated and pulled out my trusty KitchenAid food processor and made it that way. Purists would be shocked but it did the trick 🙂
GATHER:
Pastry
1 ¼ cups plain flour
1 tablespoon icing sugar
90g chopped cold butter
2 tablespoons chilled water
Filling:
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup caster sugar
1 ½ cups milk
Nutmeg
LET’S GET TO IT:
Place icing sugar and plain flour in bowl of food processor and whiz for a few seconds. Add butter and mix until it looks like fine breadcrumbs, then add iced water and whiz until combined.
Between two sheets of baking paper roll out to line a pie dish (18cm and three cup capacity). Push gently up the sides then chill for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180C, line pastry with baking paper and fill with dried rice. Bake for 15 minutes, then carefully remove rice and paper and bake for another 10 minutes.
At this point Merle suggests brush pastry with egg white but I skipped this step, with no apparent misfortune.
Bake for another five minutes, until lightly golden, then cool completely.
To make filling whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl.
Heat milk in small pan until it just comes to the boil then pour onto the egg mixture stirring constantly [do not whisk or it will become very frothy].
Place pie dish on baking tray then carefully pour egg mixture into pastry shell.
Sprinkle with nutmeg then bake for between 35-40 minutes – tart should be just set in centre yet have a slight wobble.
the hungry mum 
I love anything custard and this tart looks so delicious!! ❤
Custard is such a winner! Thanks 🙂
That looks so tasty! How delicious!
thanks! The Hungry Dad ate half in one sitting so it must have been good 😉
Yum! This custard tart looks amazing!
Cheers! Is pretty yummy 🙂
I love that the Hungry Dad wanted custard instead of cake for the wedding! You guys could’ve compromised and had both, or custard in the cake. Yummmmm….maybe time for renewal of the vows so that you can do that? 😉 Your custard tart looks delicious! I totally would’ve made it in the food processor too. My arms are weak as limp noodles!
Glad to see I’m not the only one who appreciates a short cut in the kitchen 🙂 Funnily enough we did just have our ten year vow renewal in Hawaii but there was no cake or custard to be seen – just beautiful modern Japanese food. Maybe custard for our 20 year vow renewal 🙂
Fabulous custard tart, nothing beats homemade custard like this. Sounds like a great book.
Thanks 🙂 I’m all about the home-made & often think how hard it would have been fifty years ago when kitchens didn’t have mod cons.
Thanks! Homemade is always best 🙂 Cheers for stopping by.
Beautiful! Like how it has the browned spots on top. And what a fun tablecloth. Sounds like an amazing cookbook, too 🙂
p.s. Love that you’re a professional food writer 😀
ooooh, I wish I was a professional food writer 🙂 Am a newspaper journo & my ed allows me to have a weekly column called The Hungry Mum. Am very lucky 🙂
Thanks! The brown bits make it look a bit rustic 😉
Oh, give me custard anything and you will make me happy! That is one pretty tart!
Custard is a taste like no other 🙂 Thanks for your sweet words.
There’s hardly anything I love more than a good custard. Deeeeeee-licious!
Custard is goooood! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
We are busy watching MasterChef All Stars 2012 at the moment – and she is a wonderful person. I am going to add this to my to do list for this year 🙂
Isn’t she lovely? That don’t make ’em like that any more. I hope you do get a chance to make this tart.
I had to laugh when you said.. “I cheated and pulled out my trusty KitchenAid food processor and made it that way. Purists would be shocked but it did the trick” That is totally something I would say and do!! This looks so delicious.. 🙂
Thanks! I tell you, if I didn’t have my KitchenAid mixer & processor I doubt I would bake. Lord only knows how people survived before their invention 🙂
You Are not kidding!! My family would go hungry for sure! Or tire of eating carrots everyday… 🙂
OMG I am craving this right now. I am definitely going to have to make this, I have a soft spot for a good custard tart and yours looks easy to make.
Thanks! It is super easy to make – you can even make the pastry the day before to save time. Cheers for the sweet words 🙂
She sounds like the Martha Stewart of Australia. How lucky you are to have a job where cookbooks come to you!!
She’s more like the fairy godmother of fruit cakes & scones 🙂 I do have a great job & am very lucky to get do what I love 🙂
I love Merle she was awesome on Master Chef. I will have to look out for her book – this recipe looks delicious!
mmm my favourite!! thanks for the recipe, will def try that out!
Thanks Tara! Is easy peasy 🙂
I adore custard. The creamy smoothness (especially when warm) is pure comfort food! 🙂 Your tart looks lovely!
p.s. I would have gone with a wedding custard over a wedding cake had I thought of it!
Yes – warm custard is food of the gods 🙂 Am thinking that there is a huge market for wedding custard – the Hungry Dad will be most impressed 🙂
love the custard and am crazy for the little berry table cloth!
Thanks! Thinking of asking my mum to turn that berry fabric into a skirt for Miss8 – it is very cute 🙂
What fun to review cookbooks! Your tart looks delicious 🙂
I love reviewing cookbooks – is interesting to see what many of these celebrity chefs consider to be a ‘quick & easy’ meal 🙂
…MMM oh wow, that looks so delicious! I love custard pie and could eat several slices of your pie right now! I am going to try your recipe soon, . I made Crème Brûlée last night, it is so good!
I enjoyed visiting your site, great recipes and good pictures! Visit my site if you get a chance, check out my Crème Brûlée recipe.
Michael 🙂
http://michaelswoodcraft.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/making-creme-brulee/
Creme brulee! Yes please! Have never attempted to make it but you may have just inspired me 🙂
great recipe, it looks delicious!
Thank you 🙂 It is pretty yum.
Thanks for the heads-up on Merle. I had never heard of her before, but I’m always on the lookout for new cookbooks! It’s amazing how versatile the custard filling recipe is (eggs and sugar mixed together, then gradually added to the hot milk). This is the recipe used to make ice cream and I just used this technique to make chocolate icing. Whoo hoo!
The book is great – plenty of baking classic recipes. Merle is fab 🙂 Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I love custard too, and I completely understand hungry man! And in pie form has particularly appealed to me, but I’ve never tried it yet! This recipe is the perfect one to start.
Custard in pie form is great – a mobile dessert! You must ensure it still has a bit of wobble so it doesn’t lose that custard vibe 🙂
i love custard! looking forward to making this!!
Me too! Thanks – hope you get a chance to make it 🙂
Looks delicious and easy.
Thanks! It ticks all the boxes.
Looks wonderful.
Thanks! It vanished very quickly so I think it can be described as wonderful 🙂
I made your divine home-made custrad tart & loved it so much! I am a real custard lover too! 😉 xxx
I heart those custard tarts! I always do a funny trick which the Chinese use (their yum cha ones) are always flakey. Nonetheless who ever said no to a good short crust case 😉
oooh, the Hungry Dad is such a fan of the custard tarts at yum cha 🙂 I wouldn’t even attempt such a flaky pastry [looks far too hard!]
The secret is it’s a rough puff pastry…made with lard so it’s like super short! We’ll have to have a cooking marathon & try it sometime! I love those tarts!