As another offering at my birthday tea party, I decided to use up some of my remaining chai masala spice mix (leftover from previous recipes on this site) to make a twist on a traditional English egg custard tart. Egg custards are sweet and wobbly, and a perfect backdrop for stronger spice flavors. Given the obvious nature of this combo and the fact that India was once a British colony, it’s easy to see why this dish works so well.

The details:

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Thought process:

I had leftover chai spice and cookie crumbs from the chai ice cream cake. I decided to add them to The Spruce Eats’ recipe for a classic english custard tart, no other changes required.  

Below, the recipe:

Chai Custard Tart
Adapted from The Spruce Eats’ recipe for a classic english custard tart

• 3 Tbsp butter, melted
• 3/4 cups almond cookie crumbs
• 1/4 cup Oreo cookie crumbs
• 3 large eggs, plus 2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup (55g) granulated sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 tsp chai spice
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F
2. Combine the butter, almond, and oreo cookie crumbs in a bowl, then press into a 9 inch fluted tart pan
3. Bake for 5 min until just beginning to brown
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F
5. In a large bowl beat the eggs and egg yolks lightly with the sugar.
6. Warm the cream and milk to a gentle simmer, then temper into the eggs, stirring constantly. Add the vanilla extract and chai spice.
7. Pour the egg and cream mixture through a sieve into the tart shell. Don’t over fill.
8. Sprinkle with the cinnamon making a generous, even layer.
9. Place the tart onto a baking sheet and bake in the center of the preheated oven for  20-30 min or until the custard is almost set; it should still wobble ever so slightly indicating it is cooked. It will firm up even more as it cools so be careful not to overcook.

Rating:
4/5 stars. 
This was an interesting one. The crust completely did not work. The cookie crumbs soaked up the custard filling, turning into a soggy mess. In hindsight, this should have been completely obvious, and in the future I will have to use a pastry crust as with a normal egg tart. Nevertheless, the chai flavor of the custard filling was so perfect and interesting that this still gets 4 stars. I look forward to making it again (fixed) soon.