Gâteau Basque with Vanilla Pastry Cream

A crust that encloses the cream

Gâteau basque is a tart from the French Basque Country, with a distinctive sturdy, buttery crust. Well-known versions are filled with pastry cream or black cherry preserves; this recipe uses the creamy filling. The dough is richer and more compact than classic shortcrust pastry, and forms both the base and the lid. So rather than a separate tart base with a topping, you get an enclosed tart with a soft centre.

The pastry cream must be completely cold first. As it cooks, cornstarch thickens the milk and egg yolks into a thick cream; keep stirring with a whisk, especially along the bottom and corners of the pan, so the cream doesn’t catch. After cooking, spread it in a dish and cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface. This helps it cool faster and prevents a skin from forming. You can use a vanilla pod instead of vanilla extract: heat the seeds and pod with the milk and remove the pod before mixing.

Chill the dough well before rolling it out, too. Cold butter makes it less sticky and helps the crust hold its shape. Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper; this means you won’t need extra flour, which can make the crust drier. Make the base large enough to line the sides of the pan, and carefully seal the top to the edges. You can press a small piece of dough over any little cracks. The fork marks on the lid are both decorative and distinctive; make them shallow so you don’t cut through the dough.

Bake the tart until the top is deep golden brown. The colour is a useful guide here: a pale crust stays soft more easily and lacks the toasted butter flavour that contrasts so well with the mild cream. The filling may still wobble a little after baking, but it will firm up as it cools. Wait until the gâteau is completely at room temperature before slicing it; use a sharp knife and wipe it clean between cuts for neat slices.

Serve the tart on its own with coffee or tea, or with some fresh fruit for a refreshing contrast. Since the filling contains pastry cream, store any leftovers covered in the fridge and eat them within three days. Let a slice come to room temperature briefly before serving; the buttery crust will be less firm and the vanilla flavour will come through more. The tart is easiest to slice neatly when chilled, but is more enjoyable to serve when it isn’t ice-cold.