Recipe: Baklava custard slice

Line two half sheet pans or heavy-rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Line an 8-inch baking pan with a cross of parchment as well, with ends overhanging.

Start on the filling. Split the vanilla beans down their length, and then, with the back of the knife blade, scrape the seeds into a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in the cream, then pop in the emptied beans, the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, orange peel and almond extract. Bring the liquid to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring often. Remove from the stove and set aside while you get the dough sorted.

Place the pistachios in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Using the pulse function, use short bursts to pulverize the nuts until finely ground – if you run the motor too long, the nuts can become pasty. Set aside 1 or 2 tablespoons of nuts for garnish, then pulse the sugar into what remains in the bowl.

On a lightly floured surface, roll half the puff pastry into a scant 10-inch square about 1/8-inch thick. Lay the dough onto one of the prepared sheet pans. Pierce its surface with the tines of a fork, making sure to get all the way down to the tray. Scatter half the pistachio sugar mixture over the dough. With gentle hands, tamp the nuts to adhere. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper and place in the freezer. Repeat the process with the remaining dough and pistachios (see note).

Preheat an oven to 400 F.

Once the first pastry is firm, about 10 minutes of chilling, top with another sheet pan. If desired, compress the stack with something heavy, such as an oven-safe dish or roasting tin. Bake the dough, so weighted, for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the top pan and any weight, and carefully peel back the parchment. The pastry should look dry and pale golden. If translucent anywhere, cover and bake for 5 minutes more and check again. When ready, leave uncovered and continue to bake until fully golden, about 2 to 5 minutes more, checking often. Cool pastry completely on a wire rack. Bake the second sheet of dough, making sure to use cold sheet pans.

While the first pastry is baking, get on with the filling. Bring the cream back up to the barest simmer, stirring regularly. Do not boil. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. In a larger bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy. Add the sugar mixture, a little at a time, and whisk until smooth, pale and thick. Strain the cream mixture into a pouring jug (or, if you have help, ask someone to hold the sieve over the egg bowl), and then, while whisking, pour 1/3 of the cream over the eggs in a thin, steady stream. Once combined, pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining cream. Return to the stovetop and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the custard is thick and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the butter.

With a serrated knife, trim the each of the pastry pieces into 8-inch squares. Line the bottom of the prepared pan with one piece. Pour the warm custard onto the pastry and smooth its top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Let the custard cool for 45 minutes, and then, with care, cover with the second pastry square, pressing down lightly. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

To serve, dust with confectioner’s sugar and some of the reserved ground pistachios. Using the parchment sling, lift the slice out of its pan and portion as desired. The dessert is best eaten right away, but will keep for a few days covered in the fridge. The pastry will lose its crunch as it sits.

Notes

As written, the baking instructions require four half sheet pans. If you don’t have that many, prepare and bake only half the dough, and then proceed with the second once the custard is cooling in the baking tin. In either case, the crust turns out best when baked one at a time rather than sharing an oven.

To cut the custard slice, do not push straight down with a knife blade. Instead, use a serrated or supersharp knife at a 45-degree angle to cut the top pastry alone, starting from a far edge and carefully cutting towards you. Once that crust is cleaved, you can confidently cut right through the custard and base.

The custard must be properly cooked and then thoroughly chilled or it will be too loose to stand up to slicing. If concerned, stir 1 teaspoon gelatin granules dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water into the hot cream before stirring it into the egg yolks. If for some reason your custard isn’t as firm as you’d like, or if the slice is to be served on a hot day, stash it in the freezer for a few minutes, after which it’ll slice a dream and give the impression of an upmarket ice cream sandwich.