The Eunice Power Column

This month Eunice shares her recipe for a very clever dessert that can be made ahead to simplify the Christmas feast

All-in-one Christmas pud and custard in a tart.

Served with a large dollop of cream, this makes an absolutely delicious dessert for Christmas Day as well as an excellent way to tart up left over Christmas pudding – pardon the pun!

Pastry

175g plain flour – sifted
50g icing sugar
100g very cold butter, cut into cubes
1 egg yolk, plus a tablespoon of iced water if needed

Filling

454g/1lb Christmas pudding
4 large free range eggs
75g caster sugar
450 ml cream
½ vanilla pod (split lengthways and seeds scraped out).

Lightly butter a 23 cm (9 inch) tart tin and put it in the fridge. Put the flour and icing sugar into a food processor and aerate with a couple of quick on/off pulses. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and water (if necessary) and process until the pastry just draws together.

Turn it out on to a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly to form a flat round. Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for at least 20 minutes before rolling out.

Pre-heat an oven to 190ºC/gas mark 5. Roll out to a round at least five centimetres (two inches) larger than the tin. Wrap the pastry around the rolling pin, lift into place and unroll loosely over the chilled tin. Gently lift and press the pastry into the tin to line, then roll the rolling pin over the top of the tin to trim off the excess pastry.

Line the chilled pastry case with baking parchment, fill with baking beans and cook for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the beans and paper and cook for another 10 minutes or a little longer, until a light biscuit brown colour.

Turn down the oven temperature to 140ºC/ gas mark 1.

For the filling: Break up the Christmas pudding into chunks and spread over the base of the tart. Next whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl with a metal whisk until smooth. Set aside.

Put the cream into a medium saucepan. Stir the split vanilla pod and seeds into the cream.

Heat the liquid gently until hot but not boiling, stirring regularly. Slowly stir it into the egg mixture until thoroughly combined. Pour the custard into the pastry case.

Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes, or until only just set. The custard should still be fairly wobbly in the middle, as it will continue to set as it cools.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool before cutting and serving. Serve with softly whipped cream.

Photography Shane O’Neill www.aspectphotography.com
Food Styling Leona Humphreys www.onefineplate.com

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More recipes from Eunice Power are available on www.eunicepower.com

Room reservations can be made on www.powersfield.com - hope to see you in Dungarvan during the year.

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Eunice Power is a professional chef with over twenty years experience in the hospitality business. She runs Powersfield House in Dungarvan County Waterford, which is our B&B of the Year for 2012 and also the winner of the Best B&B Breakfast. Her philosophy is to use fresh, seasonal, locally produced food, sourced organically where possible. 

Eunice has a successful outside catering company, writes about food (she is the author of an excellent cookery book written for local company Waterford Stanley) and teaches at Paul Flynn’s Tannery Cooking School, where her enthusiasm and zest for a life filled with good food are given free rein."