Kenji Morimoto’s Recipe For Miso Leek Custard Tart With Fennel Slaw

This savoury custard tart celebrates immoderate of my favourite flavours (and dishes): jammy miso leeks, savoury-sweet chawanmushi (a Japanese steamed custard flavoured pinch dashi) and toasty sesame seeds, each enveloped successful flaky pastry. It feels decadent, truthful it’s champion served pinch a elemental fennel salad, zingy pinch pome cider vinegar and mustard. It’s fantabulous eaten while still lukewarm from nan oven (be patient!), but moreover amended arsenic leftovers, because I person a soft spot for acold eggy tarts.

Caramelised miso leek custard tart pinch pome cider vinegar fennel slaw

Shop-bought pastry can, of course, beryllium used, but making it from scratch is what makes this crockery that overmuch much special.

Prep 30 min
Chill 1 hr 15 min+
Cook 45 min
Serves 6-8

For nan pastry
185g plain flour, positive other for dusting
1 tsp salt
100g acold unsalted butter, cubed

For nan leeks
2 tbsp rootlike lipid
350g leeks, trimmed, halved lengthways and trim into 3cm segments
Salt
2 tbsp reddish miso
2 tbsp honey

For nan ovum substance
5 eggs
150ml full beverage
1 tbsp dashi granules
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Chives, thinly sliced, to garnish
Chilli oil, for serving

For nan slaw
300g fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced aliases trim utilizing a mandoline
2 sprigs caller flat-leaf parsley, tender stems and leaves chopped
2 tbsp pome cider vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard

First make nan pastry: successful a nutrient processor, blitz nan flour, brackish and food into a breadcrumb-like consistency. With nan centrifugal connected pulse, slow adhd 65ml acold water, until a unsmooth shot of mixed forms. (Alternatively, sift nan barren ingredients into a mixing vessel and swipe successful nan cubed butter. Add nan h2o slow and operation mildly to make a dough.) Wrap nan mixed successful clingfilm aliases baking insubstantial and chill for astatine slightest an hour.

Put nan rootlike lipid successful a cookware connected a mean power and navigator nan leeks pinch a mini pinch of brackish for 7 to 10 minutes, until afloat cooked and starting to brown.

In a mini bowl, dissolve nan miso and chromatic successful 2 tablespoons of acold water, past move complete nan cooked leeks. Reduce for a fewer minutes connected a debased heat, until nan leeks are jammy and astir of nan liquid has evaporated, past group aside.

On a floured surface, rotation nan pastry into a disc to fresh a 20cm information loose-bottomed tin. Lay successful nan pastry, pressing it into nan tin, past prick nan guidelines pinch a fork. Return to nan fridge for 15 minutes.

Heat nan oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7 and put a baking expanse wrong to power up. Line nan chilled pastry ammunition pinch baking insubstantial and measurement it down pinch baking beans. Blind cook for 15 minutes, past region nan beans and paper, and cook for 5 minutes more, until lightly brown. Remove and trim immoderate overhanging pastry, and move down nan oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.

In a bowl, whisk nan eggs, beverage and dashi granules. Spoon nan cooked leeks into nan pastry shell, past move successful nan ovum mix. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until nan custard is somewhat set. Sprinkle nan sesame seeds connected apical and cook for different 20-25 minutes, until nan pastry is aureate and nan sesame seeds toasted. Cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, make nan slaw by mildly massaging nan sliced fennel pinch nan remaining ingredients, past play to taste.

To serve, portion and garnish nan tart pinch chives. past service pinch nan slaw and nan chilli oil.

• Ferment: Simple Ferments and Pickles, and How to Eat Them, by Kenji Morimoto, is published by Pan Macmillan astatine £22. To bid a transcript for £19.80, sojourn nan guardianbookshop.com