Easter Egg Custard Tarts

This is my favorite pastry that I look forward to having when we go to England. You can find it in most pastry shops, bakeries and tea rooms. It's a simple egg custard in a pastry shell and the secret ingredient that makes this tart is the sprinkling of nutmeg on top. I used freshly grated nutmeg and just enough to compliment the sweet egg custard without taking it over. I used a simple pie pastry for the shell and could have tried to make them prettier with nice edging, but they looked nice and homemade! Aside from my pastry, the tarts turned out perfectly. I read through to make sure how to prepare it and the secret is to have the ingredients (eggs, milk, 1/2 and 1/2 and sugar) at room temperature and mix them over a warm bowl of water so the filling does not separate from the tart shell during baking. Plus, you bake them at a very low temperature - only 300 degrees for about 45-50 minutes.

I enjoy this for breakfast (it's eggs anyway, right?) an afternoon treat with tea or dessert. It's simple, yet decadent and doesn't need any topping or garnish to be enjoyed.