Poppy Seed Torte

 

Picture a tart with a poppy seed custard or pastry cream filling, and you’re pretty close to what this is! I was really in the mood for a not-too-sweet poppy seed dessert that didn’t rely heavily on lemon, one of those straight-up deals like my mother’s poppy seed cake. I mean, there is some lemon zest in here, but it’s not like a another dessert that had caught my eye and that I ended up casting aside for that reason. I loved this torte! Note that this is the kind of dish you have to make a day ahead, or at least start early in the morning. I would also consider omitting the cream in the filling to make it more solid. 

For the crust 

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 

¼ cup sugar 

1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest 

¼ tsp. salt 

1 stick cold lactose-free butter, cut into ½-inch pieces 

1 large egg yolk 

2 Tbsp. ice water 

For the filling 

½ cup sugar 

4 large egg yolks 

3 Tbsp. cornstarch 

1 pinch of salt 

1 ½ cups lactose-free whole milk 

2 Tbsp. lactose-free butter 

1 tsp. vanilla extract 

½ cup cold lactose-free cream (see note above) 

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds 

For the crust 

Pulse the flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Add the egg yolk and ice water; pulse until the dough begins to come together. Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and pat into a disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. 

Lightly coat a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom with cooking spray. Roll out the dough into a 10-inch round on a lightly floured surface. (If it gets too soft, return to the refrigerator until firm.) Ease the dough into the prepared pan and press into the bottom and up the sides, trimming any excess. Pierce the bottom all over with a fork. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 375 °F and set a rack in the lowest position. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet. Line the crust with foil, then fill with pie weights. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven; bake until the crust edges are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and continue baking until the crust is golden all over, 15 to 20 more minutes (it was less in my case). Transfer to a rack and let cool completely. 

For the filling 

Meanwhile, whisk the sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl until combined. Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat (do not boil). Gradually whisk half of the hot milk into the egg mixture, then pour back into the saucepan with the remaining milk and cook, whisking until thick like pudding, about 4 minutes. Whisk in the butter and vanilla. Pour the filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl (I skipped this step). Let cool to room temperature, stirring frequently, about 30 minutes. 

Whisk the cream with a mixer until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream and poppy seeds into the cooled filling. Spoon into the prepared crust and smooth the top. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours or overnight.