Now what about Custard Tarts in As Time Goes By???

18 years ago

I do recall these from my days in England, but I think fondly of them each week as himself and I watch ATGB reruns on Sat night. (Yes, we almost have the dialog memorized!)

So what about a replication of the ones Lionel loves so much?And do homemade keep in tins as he keeps his? I know "Jean" is not the baker since we've never heard that mentioned in any show. Maureen

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Daisyduckworth

18 years ago

last modified: 11 years ago

Love that show! Love custard tarts! Luckily for me I don't have to make them. There's a bakery around the corner who does them brilliantly. We never actually see Lionel's custard tarts, but the ones we get are about 10cm (4 inches) or so in diameter.

Here's a recipe for a family-size one. I substitute 1 tablespoon or so (guessing) of the flour for the pastry with cornflour (cornstarch) which gives a crisper pastry.

Custard Tart
Pastry:
2 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup self raising flour

Beat butter and sugar to a cream. Add egg and flour. Line a sandwich tin and bake. [A sandwich tin is about 20cm -8" - in diameter and very shallow. You use them for 2-3 layer cakes. Got the idea? A larger pie dish should do the job but the filling should be fairly deep.]

Custard:
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon plain flour mixed with a little milk
1 egg
vanilla.

Stir all ingredients over gentle heat until thick and smooth. While custard is hot, pour on pastry. Sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon.

You can make your own pastry. Choose from any of the following for best results:

Biscuit Pastry
2 tablespoons sugar
125g butter
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
pinch salt
1 egg
water or milk

Rub the sugar and butter into the flour, add the salt, then mix with lightly beaten egg. Add a few drops of water or milk to make a fairly stiff dough. Suitable for pies, tarts etc.

Crisp Biscuit Pastry (my choice)
125g self raising flour
125g flour
pinch salt
60g custard powder
3 tablespoons sugar
180g butter or margarine
4 tablespoons milk or water

Sift dry ingredients into a bowl, rub in butter. Mix to a firm dough with milk or water. Knead lightly on a floured board, roll out to about 5mm thick and line pie-plate. Decorate edge by pinching the pastry together with finger and thumb or by pressing lightly with the end of a knife or fork. Place a round of greased paper in the base over the pastry and weigh down with dried peas or rice to keep the base flat. Bake in a hot oven 15-20 minutes. Remove paper and peas or rice before end of baking time to allow base to dry out.

Tartlet Pastry (good choice)
180g butter
125g sugar
2 eggs
250g plain flour
60g rice flour, or cornflour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Cream butter and sugar until white and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Fold in sifted dry ingredients. Chill overnight or for a few hours before using. Knead well and roll out.

For Tartlet Cases, use 2 sheets frozen shortcrust pastry (or make your own), cut into 6cm rounds and fit into patty pans. Makes about 20 cases. (Some cooks turn the patty tins upside down, and lay the pastry over the rounded bottoms, making it easier to remove the cooked tartlet cases. [Note: patty tins are a bit like muffin tins, but the compartments are much more shallow and more rounded. Patty cakes are American cupcakes, but I don't know what size cupcakes usually are. Sorry, I couldn't find a picture of a patty tin.]

More hints for the pastry:

FOR VERY CRISP PASTRY:
Squeeze a little lemon juice into ice cold water, add a tablespoon of powdered milk to the flour, and mix with the water.
OR
Add a teaspoon of white vinegar to the water when making pies or tarts.
OR
Add a dessertspoon of custard powder to the flour when making sweet pastry.

Use a metal pie dish, which conducts heat better than pottery or glass. If you must use glass, put the dish onto a metal baking tray for more even heat distribution.

Of course, you can cheat and buy frozen pastry tartlet cases. The ones we get here are smaller, about 5cm across, and come in packs of 12.

Custard Filling (enough for about 12 5cm tartlets)
300ml milk
1 teaspoon cornflour
sugar to taste
2 eggs
vanilla

Boil the milk. Mix the cornflour with a little cold milk, then add the whole to the boiling milk, stirring well. Stir in the sugar and vanilla and continue stirring until thickened. Beat the eggs, and stir them in slowly. Fill pastry cases with the mixture. Note: Do not prick pastry before baking. Glaze with egg white, then pour in custard mixture. A tablespoon of milk powder added to the ingredients will help prevent shrinkage.

It is de rigeur to sprinkle the tops of custard tarts with nutmeg. The cases should be filled with custard as high as it will go. When cooked, the custard should stand higher than the pastry, in a rounded dome.

As for storage: well, I don't know how Lionel gets away with it. I find that custard tarts only keep for a day or so (2 at most) before the pastry begins to go soft. No way would I keep mine outside the fridge - the custard would go off in no time in my climate! But I admit they are better eaten at room temp rather than cold, but that's a matter of personal preference I think. I have made lots of them (the smaller version) for parties, and they need to be stored in a single layer. I use a deep Tupperware cake container, with several wooden cylinders (from my kids' building block collection! about 10cm tall) standing between tartlets. On these I put another plate, giving me 2 layers of storage. If you have a cake-plate with removable tiers, obviously that would be less make-shift.

You might be able to find foil tartlet cases in your supermarket.

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Comments (34)

User
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I love that show too, and I've wondered about the custard tarts. Thanks for the recipes.

These tarts make a nice fall and winter dessert. With the kids coming over more often these days, it's nice to have something for them to eat.
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teresa_nc7
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I don't remember Lionel's tarts as being 4-inches across. They were smaller, but deep to hold all that custardy goodness.

I found several recipes for Portuguese custard tarts which sound like they are similar to the English version. They mention using puff pastry for the pastry case. And some mention the addition of lemon peel.
robinkateb
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I just checked with DH (he is british), here is his description of them. "Flaky pastry outside like you find in any tart with an egg custard filling like you find in trifle."

We just finished the whole series from Netflix including the reunion specials. We just finished the bloopers on the reunion special before I sat down here. On one of the episodes somebody mentions picking them up at the store. I agree with Teresa, they are smaller then 4 inches across but deep. There was a close up of one in the bloopers.

I guess now that we are done we will try the British "coupling." We also love "The vicar of Dibley."

-Robin

p.s. Happy Belated birthday Maureen
Daisyduckworth
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I have never seen a custard tart with flaky pastry, and we get a lot of custard tarts in my part of the world - they are very popular. It's always a thickish, crisper-than-usual short pastry. The custard is much thicker than a trifle custard - ALMOST stands alone.

Flaky pastry is used for the 'lids' on meat pies.
msafirstein
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
The Vicar of Dibley.

LOLLLOOLLOL! One of my favorites!

So odd that this post came up as I was thinking about making some custard tarts.

Michelle
colleenoz
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Custard tarts over here are made with a crisp short pastry (which I would only ever use plain, all-purpose flour for), baked blind and then filled with the same kind of custard you use for baked custard, and baked again. I use a proportion of three eggs to two cups of milk and two tablespoons of sugar and a good slurp of vanilla. Grate nutmeg over the top before baking.
lpinkmountain
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I got the jones for custard when I visited Britain. I make these tarts occasionally for special gatherings. Mine don't keep worth a darn, which is why I rarely make them. Not often that single-me can eat enough for a regular recipe not to go bad. That's why I rarely make pie too, and cake.

I love that show so much. It's one of the best sitcoms out there, IMHO. It has an unusual theme and cast--no cute kids, and everyone is middle aged at best. Still it is hilarious because the comedy is very human and character driven.

For some reason I am terribly, terribly missing Britain. Several of my best, best friends are British and I miss them soooo much. For a while in my life, I was going over about every five years, for two-week visits, but I can't afford it anymore, time or money. One friend visited this April, which spawned a big wave of nostalgia in me for those days when I worked with all the Brits. These days I don't recognize my own country, and the Brits seem more mature and reliable. I'm sure this is just rose colored glasses, and also the result of the friends I made who just happened to be reliable, but I do long for their steady, let's make a pot of tea and things will all look better attitude. I'm dealing by escaping into volumes of PBS television shows, from Dr. Who to BBC news, lol!
msazadi
Original Author
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
lp and Robin...I think Lionel gets his tarts (custard ones i.e) from Sainsburys. They come in a packet of 4 and Jean dutifully gets them for him. That's my story...

I recall them, bought not made by me, as having a heavyish crust and a thick thick solid custard. A solid version of the schoolday 'what's for pudding???".

lpink...I got a dose of nostalgia in Vanover at Murchies where I sat down with a good solid pot of tea of my own. I had four cups and was ready to forge on to more walking etc. I think the blend I had was a Victoria something. I was testing that one and ended up buying a half pound.

I understand about the missing England. I think Dick even 'gets it' now and understands my affection and he only spent one week there. Maureen
sally2_gw
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I love the show too. I'm a big fan of both Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer, and think they work perfectly together. I seem to remember that Geoffrey Palmer was in another BBC sitcom many many years ago, and I'm thinking he was either on Yes Minister or Rumpole of the Baily (or however it's spelled.). I'm not getting him mixed up with the actor that played Rumpole, but I thought he had a supporting role on the show. I'll have to look it up.

I've never been to England, but I do love many of the British shows, with the old "Good Neighbors" being my all time favorite.

Bringing it back to food, I too had wondered about his Custard Tarts, and not being completely up on British foods wasn't sure what they were. I have seen Jean getting them out of a blue tin, I think, but I couldn't get a good look at them.

Sally
teresa_nc7
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Don't you love Geoffrey Palmer? I also think he and Judi Dench make such a great pair. He was also the husband in Butterflies with Wendy Craig. That was another wonderful Brit sitcom.

I liked Good Neighbors very much too. Felicity Kendall is one of my favorites. I was remembering her "Posh Frock" only recently.
Daisyduckworth
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
You're thinking of The Good Life, Teresa. I'm a fan of Penelope Keith, who was in that show, and many others, but I especially liked her in To the Manor Born.

As for Geoffrey Palmer, he was marvellous in the movie Mrs Brown, in which Judi Dench starred as Queen Victoria. What a fantastic actress she is! She seems perfect for every role she undertakes.
teresa_nc7
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Daisy, the title was changed to Good Neighbors here in the states. We've got To the Manor Born on PBS on Saturday nights now - I love it!
Teresa
taft
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
What a fun thread to find today! I love 'As Time Goes By' and have the dvd set. I've watched each episode 30 times probably.

Daisy, thanks so much for posting your recipes.

I also like 'The Vicar of Dibley' and other's but I think you can't beat the BBC Mystery shows. Midsomer Murder's is my absolute favorite show and I watch them over and over. The scenery in some of the episodes is gorgeous and the character's and plot lines are second to none. I hope that show is never cancelled!
User
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Goodness, I remember watching "To the Manor Born" in the '90's, so I guess it's in reruns now. I do like the mysteries - especially Midsomer Murders and the Inspector Lynley mysteries. So far, there's been no great foods in either of them. Too bad.
gabriell_gw
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I've also wondered about the tarts. I love this show and have seen them many times but still watch. Also love Mulberry.Our Dallas PBS shows British comedies Sat and Sun nights. I like them all.
sally2_gw
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Well, I looked up Geoffrey Palmer's history and found I was wrong about him being in one of those shows I mentioned earlier. I did see he was in some Dr. Who episodes. That's way cool!

BTW, I'm clipping those recipes. Thanks.

Sally
Daisyduckworth
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Such a coincidence! Beginning last night is a re-run on local TV of the series 'Executive Stress' - with Geoffrey Palmer and Penelope Keith playing a married couple who have to pretend they are not married to keep their new jobs in the same company. They both look so YOUNG!
danotwo
17 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
In last nights episode, on PBS (9/14/08), Jean and Lionel return home from their honeymoon They are in the kitchen making tea, when Jean's daughter tells "Lie" "there is a custard tart in the cupboard". He is seen eating one and on the plate in front of him is an aluminum tin that the tart evidently came in. Looks like it could be store bought and not needing refrigeration. In the USA there is a brand called Table Talk pies that look very similar to the one he is eating, only smaller. Wish the show could go on forever. A wonderful half hour a week I look forward to.
taf_juno_com
15 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I saw the tart on youtube in a blooper reel. Just started season three and the mere mention of the tart made me want to rush to the supermarket for a Tabletop boston cream pie (which is about the closest we have without going to a bakery). Decided in the end that their cream would have not come close to the taste of a real custard tart.
Thank you all for posting the recipe. And long live As Time Goes By.
jenniferheart_gmail_com
15 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Wow, this was so much fun to read all these posts. I just went searching for custard tarts on the web because I love ATGB and watch it 4 days a week on my local PBS station here in the states. I always hear Lionel talking about custard tarts. I wonder if there is a major grocery store in the states that has something similar. I could see Whole Foods making something like that. I also wonder if there is a place in England that ships custard tarts. I would love an authentic one!!!
PrissPot
14 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I have watched As Time Goes By for a long time and was thrilled to come across this website when I googled "British custard". No one I know has even heard of this show. I wanted to know about Lionel's custard tarts that he loves so much. Hello to all you BBC fans!
nittanyapple
13 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Recently a friend moved to London and has agreed to purchase some custard tarts for me! I am truly excited to try them. As I was reading through the comments I saw that someone said that we never seen Lionel's tarts, but that isn't the case. Once he moves in with Jean, Lionel is in the kitchen and removes them from the cupboard. They are small, about 3 inches across. I was surprised that I hadn't noticed it before, but I guess it took viewing the show several dozen times to actually catch it! ...a fan oddity, I suppose.
Islay_Corbel
13 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Yes, fairly deep and made with short pastry. Portugese ones are smaller and made with puff pastry like the Spanish ones, I think.
teresa_nc7
13 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Looks to me that the ones Lionel keeps in the cupboard are close to the size that would be made in a regular muffin tin cup.

Teresa
Janet Smith
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
What a lovely thread. I've gotten hubby hooked on British TV and he loves ATGB. He's asked me several times what custard tarts are and could we find some. We just got back from a month in Scotland and we did find custard tarts at Sainsbury's, Morrison's and Tesco. He had one each evening with his evening tea. Now that we are back in Texas, I guess I will have to learn to make them as they aren't sold here. I also got recipes for Scottish Shortbread and the most delicious Victorian Sponge from Sue Smith at the Wee Tea Shop in Glenshee What a lovely shop and even more lovely lady.
User
9 years ago
A blast from the past.

My goodness, I miss daisyduckworth, she always posted wonderful recipes
jfleming1811
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I do remember seeing lionel eat custard tarts more than once. but one of those times it was just sitting in front of him during a lot of action during breakfast time and once in bed on the episode where hes waiting for a call about whether his showing of his book to tv story was good or not.

They were roughly the same shape and size and small. as the pictures in this link for a recipe. but they had no deep browning and were rather pale. Thanks!

https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/dessert-pie/lionels-custard-tarts.html

but not quite as flaky in appearance as this one in the picture below
colleenoz
8 years ago
Those custard tarts aren't quite right, jfleming. I can't post the links from where I am atm but if you look on the BBC or Taste.com.au websites they have recipes which are more like the classic British custard tart.
l pinkmountain
8 years ago
I actually met Msazadi. Was a long time ago and I hope she is still OK. A lovely lady.
Paul DeCesare
last year
last modified: last year
Many years later and we still want to know what brand Lionel was eating. Here are 4 screen shots from Season 4, Episode 9. Lionel's are muffin sized and come in a individual foil muffin "cup". I hope to find another episode where we see the tin they are shipped in.

Photos:

1) In the foil cup on the plate

2) Before he takes a bite. They are deep.

3) After the bite. Looks like a lot of custard inside.

4) On the plate with the foil cup next to it.

Now to find the tin! BTW, this has been a favorite show for my wife and I for 30 years. We are in the USA and we can't stand American TV. Our only TV subscription other than cable: BritBox 😊
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
last year
The clip shows standard custard tarts. You can't tell the brand. They all look like that whether from a supermarket or an independent bakery. They are sold either loose or in a box. I've never seen them sold in a tin although I suppose you could keep them in a tin after purchase.

Ps I've never seen the show.
Paul DeCesare
last year
That‘s good to know, I didn’t think that a tin might just be storage. you saved me a lot of research time!
colleenoz
last year
Portuguese egg tarts as mentioned by someone at the beginning are in the same family as custard tarts, but more like a cousin than a sibling.

Now what about Custard Tarts in As Time Goes By???

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