Tarte au Maroilles

Ingredients

• 300 g plain flour
• 10 g fresh yeast or 4 g dried yeast
• 120 ml warm whole milk
• 1 egg
• 50 g soft unsalted butter
• 6 g fine salt
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 350 g Maroilles cheese
• 200 g creme fraiche epaisse
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 whole egg, for the custard
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pinch grated nutmeg

Before you cook

• Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm milk and leave it for 10 minutes until it foams.
• Cut the Maroilles into 1 cm slices, leaving the orange rind on.
• Butter a 26 cm tart tin or a shallow round baking dish.
• Whisk the creme fraiche with the two egg yolks, the whole egg, plenty of black pepper and the nutmeg.

Steps

1. Put the flour and salt in a bowl and make a well.
2. Add the yeasted milk, the egg and the soft butter and mix to a soft dough.
3. Knead for 8 minutes, until smooth and springy.
4. Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rise for one hour, until doubled.
5. Knock the dough back and roll it out to fit the tin, pressing it up the sides to form a 2 cm rim.
6. Cover and leave to prove in the tin for 30 minutes.
7. Heat the oven to 200C fan.
8. Prick the base of the dough all over with a fork.
9. Lay the slices of Maroilles across the base in a single overlapping layer, rind and all.
10. Pour the seasoned cream and egg mixture evenly over the cheese.
11. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is blistered and deep gold and the crust is cooked through underneath.
12. Rest the tart for 10 minutes so the custard firms, then cut into thick wedges and serve hot.