Manchester tart – vanilla custard and coconut tart

Set aside 10 g flour for rolling and 5 g butter for the pan. Mix the remaining 190 g flour with the salt and 25 g white sugar. Add 95 g cold butter, cut into cubes, and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add the whole egg and the measured cold water, then bring the dough together briefly, without prolonged kneading. Flatten into a disk, wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Save the egg whites left from separating the yolks for another recipe; do not add them to this tart.

Grease the base and sides of a metal tart pan 24 cm across and at least 3 cm high with the reserved 5 g butter. Roll the dough into a circle about 30–32 cm across, using only the reserved 10 g flour. Transfer to the pan and gently fit it against the base and sides. Use all the trimmings and any remaining measured flour to fill gaps or even out the edges, without stretching the dough. Prick the base with a fork and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190°C, conventional heat. Line the pastry with parchment paper and fill with ceramic pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes, carefully remove the paper and weights, then bake for another 10–15 minutes, until the entire shell is dry, lightly golden and cooked through. Do not trim the baked edges. Place the pan on a rack so the shell can cool while you make the custard.

Weigh 100 g milk from the prepared amount into a bowl. Add the four egg yolks, the remaining 55 g white sugar, all the vanilla sugar and the cornstarch. Whisk thoroughly until smooth, without dry lumps. Pour the remaining 500 g milk into a heavy-bottomed saucepan.

Heat the milk in the saucepan until hot and just starting to steam. Gradually pour it into the yolk mixture, whisking vigorously all the time. Pour everything back into the saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly across the base and around the sides. Once the custard has clearly thickened and starts to bubble gently, cook for about 1 minute more, stirring. Remove from the heat. The custard should be thick and smooth; do not strain it and do not discard any of the mixture.

Stir the jam with a spoon to make it easy to spread. Spoon all 100 g onto the cooled, baked shell and spread evenly right to the edges. Do not add fresh fruit or banana. Keep the tart in the pan to support the sides while you add the custard.

Spoon the still-warm custard over the jam, thoroughly scraping the mixture from the saucepan and whisk. Smooth the top with a spatula without mixing the layers, then sprinkle with all the shredded coconut. Leave for about 30 minutes, until it stops steaming, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours and 30 minutes. Once the surface has cooled, cover the tart without letting the cover touch it. The custard should be completely cold and set before slicing; chill for longer if needed.

Carefully remove the cold tart from the pan and cut into eight servings with a sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts. Serve without accompaniments. Keep any remaining tart covered in the refrigerator and use within 2 days.