Crème-Caramel Tart w Lavender Serves 8
Special notes: 10″ glass pie plate, 9.5″ plate or cardboard round, 10-14″ serving plate w lip. Make crème caramel: Preheat oven to 350. Cook 1 c sugar in a dry large nonstick skillet over moderate heat, swirling and shaking pan (to help sugar melt evenly), until sugar is melted and caramel is deep golden. Immediately pout caramel into pie plate, tilting to coat bottom and sides evenly. Bring cream, milk, lavender, salt and remaining 1/2 c sugar to a simmer and remove from heat. Let stand 15 min, then reheat. Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl, discarding lavender. Whisk whole eggs and yolks together in a bowl and slowly whisk in hot cream mix. Pour custard over caramel. Bake in a water bath in middle of oven until set but still trembling slightly (custard will continue to set as it cools), 40-45 min. Remove pie plate from oven and cool on a rack. Chill, loosely covered w plastic wrap at least 2 hours. Make pastry crust: Blend together flour, sugar, salt and butter w fingertips or pastry blender until mix resembles coarse meal. Drizzle 1.5 T ice water over mix and toss w fork until incorporated. Test mix by gently squeezing a small handful. It should hold together w/o crumbling apart. If necessary, add the remaining .5 T water (if you overwork mix or add too much water, pastry will be tough). Turn mix out onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. Smear each portion once in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together and form it into a disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic until firm, at least 1 hr. Preheat oven to 350. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a 10.5″ round and slide onto a baking sheet. Trim dough to a 9.5″ round (use plate as guide). Prick round all over w fork and chill 30 min. Bake in middle of oven until golden, 20-25 min, and cool completely on baking sheet on rack. Assemble tart just before serving (parts may be made a day ahead): Run a thin knife around edge of crème caramel and rotate pie plate back and forth to make sure crème caramel is loosened. Slide crust on top of crème caramel, centering it carefully, and invert serving plate on top of crust. Invert tart onto serving plate (caramel will run to edge of plate) Garnish with fresh violets.
Sugar 1.5c for cc
Heavy Cream 1.5c for cc
Milk 1.5c for cc
Lavender 3T fresh or dried flowers
Salt 0.125tsp
Egg 3 large
Egg Yolks 3 large
Flour 1c
Sugar 2.5T for crust
Salt 0.125tsp for crust
Butter 5T unsalted for crust
Water 1.5-2T ice