The new cookbook by Benjamina Ebuehi – who made her name as a Great British Bake Off contestant and is now a Guardian columnist and author – is dedicated to dessert. Each chapter covers a different flavour profile, from chocolatey to creamy and nutty, with 70 recipes spanning classics and unexpected new takes on the genre. You’ll find everything from a tarragon plum cobbler to hibiscus and buttermilk jelly, a lemon tart with basil cream and this textural salted honey sesame tart.
“This delicate tart feels fancy yet homely at the same time,” writes Ebuehi. “The buttery base holds a salted, honey-scented custard that melts in the mouth. Try to use a rich, fragrant honey if you can for the best flavour. If there’s one thing I don’t want you to skip, it’s the sesame crunch sprinkled liberally on top. It just ties everything together and brings a little more savouriness and texture.”
Make the tart up to a day ahead and store in the fridge.
Benjamina Ebuehi’s salted honey sesame tart
Serves 10–12
Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 2–3 hours’ chilling
Cooking time: 2 hours
Ingredients
Crème fraîche
Sesame crunch (makes 1 200ml jar, you will need 2 tbsp for this recipe)
70g caster sugar
60ml water
80g sesame seeds
Flaky sea salt
Pastry
200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
95g cold unsalted butter, diced
40g icing sugar
Pinch fine sea salt
1 large egg, separated
1 tbsp cold water
Filling
1 large egg, plus 6 large egg yolks
600ml whipping cream
150g honey
1/2 tsp flaky sea salt
Method
To make the sesame crunch, line a baking tray with baking paper. Put the sugar, water and sesame seeds in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and stir frequently before reducing the heat to low and letting the water evaporate.
The seeds will look dry and sandy. Continue to cook and stir until the sugar starts to melt and turn golden brown. The seeds will start clumping together and get coated in the caramelised sugar.
Remove from the heat and tip the mixture onto the lined tray. Sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt and leave to cool completely before using.
For the pastry, put the flour, butter, icing sugar and salt in a food processor and blitz until fine. Add the egg yolk and cold water, then pulse until it forms a ball; if the dough seems dry, add another tablespoon of water. Bring together on a lightly floured surface, wrap and chill for 2–3 hours, until firm.
Preheat the oven to 190°C.
On a floured surface, roll the pastry to 2–3mm thick and use it to line a 23cm fluted tart pan. Prick all over with a fork, line with a scrunched-up piece of baking paper and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Blind bake for 20 minutes, then lift out the paper and beans and bake for 15 minutes more, until lightly browned. Brush the base with a little egg white and bake again for a minute to seal.
Turn the oven temperature down to 120°C.
To make the filling, whisk the egg and egg yolks in a large bowl. Put the cream and honey in a saucepan, heat gently until steaming, then add the salt and slowly whisk into the egg mix. Don’t whisk too vigorously here or you’ll create lots of air bubbles. Leave to sit for a few minutes, then skim off any foam. Pour the custard through a fine sieve into a jug.
Put the tart case on an oven tray and pour in half the custard. Transfer to the oven, then pour in the rest of the custard. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the edges of the filling are set but still a little wobbly in the middle. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
You can serve this at room temperature or chilled from the fridge. Right before serving, top with dollops of crème fraîche and sprinkle over some sesame crunch.
This is an edited extract from I’ll Bring Dessert by Benjamina Ebuehi, published by Quadrille. Available in stores nationally from 11 April 2024. Photography by Laura Edwards.
