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Earl Grey Crème Brûlée Tart Recipe

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3.9 from 6 reviews

A beautifully fragrant and elegant Earl Grey Crème Brûlée Tart featuring a lightly bergamot-infused sweet shortcrust pastry, creamy Earl Grey custard filling, and a signature caramelised sugar topping that provides a delightful crunch. Perfect for British and French dessert lovers seeking a refined teatime treat.

  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 12 slices (one 23cm / 9-inch tart)

Ingredients

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

  • 220 g plain flour (all-purpose)
  • 40 g powdered icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
  • 6 g ground Earl Grey tea leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • 110 g unsalted butter, chopped into small cubes
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 15-30 ml ice cold water
  • 1 egg plus 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash

Earl Grey Custard Filling

  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 70 g caster sugar (superfine)
  • 480 ml double cream (heavy cream)
  • 2 Earl Grey tea bags
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 40-60 g caster sugar (superfine), for the topping caramelisation

Instructions

  1. Make the dough: Sift the flour, powdered icing sugar, ground Earl Grey tea leaves, and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs.
  2. Bring dough together: Stir in the beaten egg and cold water until the mixture starts to come together. Use your hands to form a dough disc. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  3. Prepare the tart shell: Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface until about the thickness of a coin and 30cm (12 inches) in diameter. Gently lift it into a 23cm (9-inch) fluted tart tin, pressing into the sides and trimming any excess. Refrigerate overnight.
  4. Blind bake the tart shell: Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Dock the base with a fork, line with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove parchment and weights.
  5. Seal the pastry base: Whisk the egg and milk for egg wash. Brush the base of the tart and bake for another 10 minutes until lightly golden and firm. This seals the pastry to prevent sogginess. Remove and cool completely. Lower oven temperature to 150°C (300°F).
  6. Infuse cream with tea: Heat the double cream gently with the two Earl Grey tea bags in a small saucepan until steaming with bubbles around the edge. Remove from heat and steep for 20 minutes, squeezing the tea bags gently occasionally.
  7. Prepare custard mixture: In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy. Remove tea bags from cream and slowly pour the warm cream into the egg mixture while whisking. Stir in vanilla bean paste.
  8. Strain custard: Pass the custard through a fine sieve into a jug to remove any solids or foam for a silky texture.
  9. Fill and bake tart: Place the tart shell on the oven shelf. Pour the custard nearly to the top of the pastry rim. Bake at 150°C (300°F) for 40 minutes until the custard is set but still slightly wobbly in the center.
  10. Cool and chill: Remove tart from oven, let cool completely, then refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours to fully set the custard.
  11. Caramelise the topping: Evenly sprinkle 40-60 g caster sugar over the set custard surface. Using a kitchen blow torch, caramelise the sugar until golden brown. For a thicker crust, add another layer of sugar and repeat caramelisation. Let the hardened sugar cool for five minutes before serving. Crack the hardened sugar crust to enjoy the signature crunch.

Notes

  • Use good quality Earl Grey tea leaves or bags to maximize bergamot flavor.
  • Refrigerating the dough overnight improves texture and handling.
  • Sealing the dough with an egg wash before adding custard prevents sogginess.
  • Do not overbake the custard; it should be set but have a slight wobble to retain creaminess.
  • If you don’t have a blow torch, you can place the tart under a hot grill briefly, watching carefully to caramelise the sugar without burning.
  • For best results, use high-quality double cream and fresh eggs.
  • Author: Daisy
  • Prep Time: 40 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Category: Pies & Tarts
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: British, French

Find it online: https://dishiary.com/earl-grey-creme-brulee-tart-recipe/