Gooseberry Custard Tart

Recently my mom’s friend shared her family recipe for rhubarb custard pie with me. A very simple custard of milk, eggs, sugar, and perhaps flour, and yummy enough for dessert or breakfast. I love a French custard tart, where the fruit is interchangeable, but often apple. It can be called an alsatienne, having equal parts cream, milk, and eggs, with sugar and vanilla, basically a sweet quiche. Or, even a clafoutis accepts fruit, which I’ve seen done dozens of ways, the basic French versions being my favorite. One is a thick custard, almost a flan, with cherries (pits included!) another calls for almond meal and berries.

The fact that these all excite me and I make them as often as I can, should be tempered by the fact that often I try them while out with nothing but frustrated disappointment. In my mind a baked custard is the easiest thing possible. Perhaps on par with chocolate chip cookies. How could someone make a bad one? It would have to almost be intentional sabotage of deliciousness.

But this is not true. I decided to do some online investigation and tried out some recipes that come up at the top of search engine lists. My Lord Jesus Christ, those were some foul desserts. One I made at my parents’ with my mom commenting politely, after trying the outcome, ‘um, honey, you know, I think I like my apple pie better.’

Hello! Understatement! McDonald’s apple pie is better. I decided to keep the recipe and write ‘Disaster! Do not try again,’ across the body of it. Generally I write all over my recipes, considering myself a culinary scientist, not so unlike the Half Blood Prince with his Potions book.

Therefore, my lovelies, here’s the custard tart I made with some suspicious fruits called ‘gooseberries.’ It’s worth noting that gooseberries are lots tarter baked – like how endives are super bitter baked, but sweet raw. Well, these little geese get sour!!