Light and Sweet Saffron Crème Brûlée Tart
Crème Brûlée Tart with Saffron filling
Looking for the perfect Crème Brulee recipe? We got you! We have brought for you a divine combination of crème brûlée and real saffron in an exciting new recipe explained in simple and easy steps. The earthy flavours of saffron go extremely well with a sweetened crème brûlée tart, ideal to end your day with a sweet luscious dessert that just melts in your mouth.
Saffron Tart Ingredients
For the pastry case
- Plain flour (225g + 1 tablespoon to dust)
- Salt (1 pinch)
- Icing sugar (65g)
- Chilled lightly salted butter (125g)
- Egg yolk (1, large)
- Coldwater (4-5 teaspoons)
- Uncooked rice or baking beans (1 cup)
- Saffron threads (1 teaspoon)
- Jersey milk or Whole cream milk (100ml)
- Double cream (500ml)
- Free-range egg yolks (6, large)
- Caster sugar (50g)
- Caster sugar (4 tablespoons)
Saffron Creme Brulee Preparation
- To prepare the pastry firstly, you need to sift the flour and icing sugar in a clean dry bowl. This step is of prime importance as it will make your dish looks smooth and free of any lumps. Also, it will make the flour light and airy.
- In this recipe, you need to use slightly salted chilled butter. So, take the butter out of the refrigerator only when you need to start making the pastry. The butter needs to be cut into small cubes.
- Now, put flour, salt, icing sugar and butter cubes into a food processor. Process it for about 30 seconds or until everything is well combined. The resultant mixture will look like fine breadcrumbs.
- Take one large egg yolk and add around 4 teaspoons of cold water into it. Beat the egg yolk and water mixture briefly for about 10 to 15 seconds.
- Take the flour mixture out in a bowl and add the egg yolk and water mixture into it. Mix everything well with the help of a spatula. Stir and press everything into a small ball. At this stage, you can also add more cold water if the mixture looks dry to make it smooth
- Now, dust flour onto a smooth surface to knead a dough. Put the mixture out on the dusted surface and start kneading it briefly or until a smooth dough is formed.
- Put the dough back in the bowl, cover it and let it set in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes take the dough out of the refrigerator and put it on a surface dusted with flour.
- The next step is to thinly roll the dough and then line it inside a loose-bottomed tart tin of size 23cm x 4cm. Rest it inside the refrigerator for another 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C and put a baking sheet onto the oven rack.
Cooking Instructions
- It is time to bake the tart. Take an aluminium foil and line it inside the pastry covering the bottom and the edges completely.
- Fill the foil with uncooked rice or baking beans and put it on the hot baking sheet into the preheated. Bake the tart for about 15-20 minutes or until the edges turn slightly golden.
- Take the pastry case out of the oven and remove the foil with baking beans or uncooked rice, carefully.
- Cover the edges of the pastry again with the aluminium foil strips and put it back into the oven for another 5 minutes or until the bottom and edges become crisp and golden-brown.
- While the pastry is in the oven, prepare the filling in the meantime. For this, put a saucepan on the stove at medium to high heat.
- Take the Saffron threads and toss them in the pan for about 10 seconds. After that put the saffron strands in a pestle and mortar and wait for a few moments until they come at room temperature.
- Grind the strands into a fine powder. Now take the same saucepan and heat some milk on medium-high heat until it almost reaches the boiling point.
- Put the heated milk into the powdered saffron, mix it well and then set it aside to let it cool.
- After 5 minutes, take the cooked pastry out of the oven and let it cool at room temperature. Bring the oven heat to around 140°C. Leave the baking sheet in the oven.
- Pour some double cream into the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Stir it occasionally.
- Meanwhile, whisk 6 egg yolks with the caster sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Pour the hated double cream into the egg and sugar mixture and stir it gently by using a whisk. Then add the saffron-infused milk and lightly mix everything.
- Now, by using a fine sieve the mixture into a jug and remove any froth that comes on the top using a spoon.
- Pour this crème brûlée mixture into the tart and carefully put the tart back on the baking sheet into the oven. Bake it for about 25 to 30 minutes.
- When it is done take the crème brûlée tart out of the oven and let it chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
- Now, the final step is to evenly sprinkle the 4 tablespoons of caster sugar over the top. By using a blow torch, caramelize the sugar until it is crisp and brown.