Top pairings | What wine to pair with a custard tart

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What wine to pair with a custard tart

My assertion that custard tarts are the new cupcakes provoked such a heated exchange that I thought I’d stoke the fire by suggesting what you drink with ‘em.

By custard tarts of course I’m not referring to the traditional British version known up north as a ‘custard’ with which it would be wrong to drink anything but a strong cup of tea (with at least one sugar) but the much sexier Portuguese version now seen all over London and bakeries throughout the UK.

I reckon there are two ways to go depending on your mood and the time of day.

For a morning tart (there is something slightly risqué about that phrase) I reckon it should be coffee, preferably black

For an afternoon or evening tart, a small glass of strong, sweet wine. Port would be the obvious option, given the origins of the tart (tawny rather than ruby, I’d suggest) but other sweet wines such as oloroso or cream sherry, similar styles of montilla, malaga, madeira and orangey moscatels would be great too. (Whatever you have to hand - and if you don’t, you should. Sweet sherry is an incredible bargain.)

Posh creamy custard tarts of the kind admirably crafted by St John (and, happily nearer to home, Sam Leach of Birch in Bristol) could take a dessert wine such as a Sauternes or a lighter moscatel.

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Comments: 7 (Add)

Catarina Nunes on April 6 2017 at 17:28

Dear Fiona, thank you for your pairing suggestion. We tried the obvious option, pairing the custard tart with a 10 Year Old Tawny from Quinta da Trovisca. All of us were delighted, we should try more often.

MeSaare on September 16 2016 at 09:39

Like all these suggestions. Adopted the strong black coffee with 1st morning tart when I was in Lisbon this spring. I would love to find a creditable recipe for these tarts as no one here in Estonia is making them.

Peter YF on September 7 2016 at 13:14

What would u suggest pairing with a "chinese" style egg tart?

Fiona Beckett on August 14 2015 at 20:57

It *is* possible that some people may not know as much as you do about food and wine pairing, Ka. And there are other suggestions ...

KA on August 14 2015 at 20:52

Pairing Port w a traditional Portugese tart........wow, nailed it. Do u have melon de bourgone w oysters, vodka w caviar, beer with pretzels? How bout 1 article of keeping it simple?

Fiona Beckett on August 13 2015 at 10:56

Agree Moscatel de Setubal would be better, Charles but more people likely to have port handy

Charles Metcalfe on August 13 2015 at 10:55

Moscatel de Setúbal! Or, I agree, a 10 year old tawny port.

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