This all started because my friend Sonya was coming over for dinner. You see she lives in London, so when she comes for a visit she loves it if I cook (well who wouldn’t… humble aren’t I). Then you all know here in the Mother Hubbard’s Kitchen that I don’t like waste. I had bought some Maleny Dairies Cream (Check out their Facebook page HERE), it is such a beautiful rich cream, I think you can even taste the delicious grass the cows have been eating to make it (NOT REALLY). I had the cream for a dish and hadn’t got around to cooking it, so now the cream was approaching it used by date AND we all know that the best butter is made from old cream (even past its used by date, if it’s not opened)

So when I make butter I always make something out of the buttermilk. (I did and turned the butter into herb and garlic butter then made herb and garlic bread as well) Buttermilk is so delicious and precious as the buttermilk you buy in the shops isn’t buttermilk at all! Hopefully soon I will even make cultured butter so I will have cultured buttermilk… (now we are getting complicated). Fresh butter milk doesn’t last very long and needs to be used up very quickly. Hence this dessert!

Homemade butter, turned into herb and garlic butter

Light and fluffy homemade herb and garlic pull apart.

This is a buttermilk tart, is a delicious eggy milky tart. My dad had a piece of this and said “it just tastes like a fancy custard tart” well really, that is what it is!

After tasting it my friend Sonya and I discussed that it needed a little something,  extra NUTMEG turned out to be the key… so please, don’t forget this very last step of freshly grated nutmeg over the top at the end…. Oh it really was amazing and bought out the sweetness of the tart and balanced the egginess. You can get fresh whole nutmeg at your local supermarket and they are very cheap and so much better than the pre ground stuff, but if that is all you have then it will still be fine… 🙂

Fresh nutmeg is so amazing and it has the most incredible patterns when you grate it.

Because I was cooking dinner for my BFF, she bought me this lovely bunch of flowers. I love flowers and even thought they do die, I think while they are alive they bring so much joy (its like having a little garden inside). I was also thinking how lovely it is that she bought a gift to say thank you for cooking dinner. When someone invites you over for dinner what do you bring? These days it is generally alcohol, but I think it is a lovely gesture to buys flowers or even some chocolate as a gift to say thank you for taking the time to make food! Anyway, it is very thoughtful and much appreciated… thanks honey 🙂

This is a very simple, easy recipe… even the pastry is easy and it is so tasty! I hope that you will have an excuse to make some butter, (if you have a Thermomix, it takes about 5 minutes) so you can have delicious buttermilk, but if not, try to get some artisan cultured buttermilk as it really has a nicer, more complex taste!

This recipe makes one large tart. I use a large 25cm x 5 cm round pie dish.

Ingredients – Sweet Crust Pastry

This is one quantity of Sweet Crust Pastry. It makes approximately 1 large tart shell or 12 small tart shells.

1 Cup (160g) Plain Flour

1 Cup (160g) Self Raising Flour

125g Butter (softened)

2 Tablespoons (40g) Sugar

1 Egg

1/4 Cup (65g) Cold Full Cream Milk

Pinch of Salt

Ingredients – Tart

I Quantity of Sweet Crust Pastry (See Above)

1 cup (200g) Castor Sugar

2 Tablespoons (40g) Plain Flour

6 Eggs

1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest

1 Cup (250ml) Buttermilk

125g Butter

Whole Nutmeg (freshly grated)

Method – Pastry

1. Place flour, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl, then rub softened butter into flour with your finger tips until it resembles a crumb.

2. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and place the egg and milk into the centre.

3. Gradually add the dry mixture into centre of the well then mix until combined and forms a dough.

4. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes at least (an hour is better). Please note that this is an important set and can not be overlooked if you want good pastry!

5. When rested place dough onto a lightly floured board and gently roll it out turning after each roll to form a round flat pastry the will cover your pie tin.

6. Grease you pie tin well and gently place the pastry in, making sure that the pastry is covering the whole shell, then prick the bottom with a fork.

7. With a fork or pastry cutter, press the edge of the pastry against the edge of the tin and then cut the edge.

8. Your pastry case is ready to use. If it is a hot day, place the pastry case back into the fridge until you are ready to use it.

Method – Tart

1. Preheat oven to 160°C

2. In a small pan melt butter and then whisk in buttermilk.

3. In a large bowl combine sugar, flour lemon zest, add eggs and beat well.

4. Slowly stir in buttermilk mixture and whisk until well combined.

5. Pour ingredients into an unbaked pie crust grate fresh nutmeg over the pie and bake for 1 hour.

6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, then grate a bit more fresh nutmeg onto the top of the tart before serving.

THERMOMIX METHOD

This recipe was made in the TM5 and exact quantities can be made in the TM31

Method – Pastry

1. Place flour, sugar, salt and butter into the mixing bowl, mix 10 seconds/speed 5.

2. Add egg and milk and kneed 1 minute/dough function.

3. Turn onto a lightly floured board and bring together to form a ball.

4. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes at least (an hour is better). Please note that this is an important set and can not be overlooked if you want good pastry!

5. When rested, place dough onto a lightly floured board and gently roll it out turning after each roll to form a round flat pastry the will cover your pie tin.

6. Grease you pie tin well and gently place the pastry in, making sure that the pastry is covering the whole shell, then prick the bottom with a fork

7. With a fork or pastry cutter, press the edge of the pastry against the edge of the tin and then cut the edge.

8. Your pastry case is ready to use. If it is a hot day, place the pastry case back into the fridge until you are ready to use it.

Method – Tart

1. Preheat oven to 160°C

2. Place butter into mixing bowl and melt 3 minutes/Varoma/speed 1.

3. Place all other ingredients into mixing bowl and beat 30 seconds/speed 4.

4. Pour ingredients into an unbaked pie crust grate fresh nutmeg over the pie and bake for 1 hour.

5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, then grate a bit more fresh nutmeg onto the top of the tart before serving.

So there you have it, the Buttermilk Tart or “Fancy Custard Tart” Don’t forget to tell me what you bring over as gifts to dinner, you know I love hearing from you!

Enjoy Irresponsibly!

Liz xx

Here are some of my other Buttermilk recipes that you might like to try!

Buttermilk Roasted Chicken (Thermomix Method Included)

Buttermilk Lemon Syrup Cake (Thermomix Method Included)

Elizabeth Connolly

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I have been cooking since I can remember. I am a Thermomix consultant, so now (whenever possible) try to give you Conventional AND Thermomix methods for the recipes. I like to share tips on how to save money and how making food from scratch isn't really that hard (especially with a Thermomix). If you have any questions about the Thermomix or cooking/food in general please email me as I'm happy to chat.
Liz xx
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