| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 35 min |
| Prep: | 2 hr 25 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 large egg yolk
- Cooking spray
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup cold heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Instructions
- Make 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 2 tablespoons 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 degrees F. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet. Line the crust with foil, then fill with pie weights or dried beans. 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. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely. (The tart shell can be made up to 1 day ahead.)
- Meanwhile, make the filling: 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. Let cool to room temperature, stirring frequently, about 30 minutes.
- Beat the heavy 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.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 334 |
| Total Fat | 21 g |
| Saturated Fat | 12 g |
| Carbohydrates | 32 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 17 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 143 mg |
| Sodium | 101 mg |
Reviews
Never have I given such a negative rating, and I apologize to the developer. I struggled with this recipe to get it right, but ended up not even finishing it. The crust is hard and lacks flavor. It is way to many calories for the meagre return in enjoyment. We finally broke it into pieces and ate it as a shortbread. The filling, again very high in calories, is also unimpressive. I’ve had wonderful poppy tortes, but this recipe missed the mark on all counts.
I thought this was pretty good, it just wasn’t really “wow”. I think I added a little too much water to the crust and it made it shrink from the sides.
My Grandma started making me poppy seed torte every year for my birthday when I was about 7 years old. After grandma was gone my mom took.over making it, now that I am 50 I make it for myself once a year. The recipe I have (still in my Grandma’s handwriting) is not the same as this one. It’s close however there’s no heavy cream along with a couple other items, it’s on a Graham cracker crust and the filling is all cooked in one pan. It says to scale the milk which I know is not how it’s done any more. I’m going to try this recipe this year (March 17th) for my birthday. I’m very curious to taste the difference.
What an absolutely delicious pie. The custard turned out beautifully; creamy, silky and smooth. The only problem I had was that the time for baking the crust is way, way too long. If I had kept my crust in for 35 minutes, it would have been black. You can read my full review at Taking On Magazines, don’t forget the dot com.
My husband is a poppy seed dessert lover. He is also VERY picky about his poppy seed desserts and absolutely loved this one. I wasn’t certain what to expect for the texture/consistency of the dessert but it’s almost like a pudding pie/mousse type consistency. I do have to fess up that I cheated and used a Pillsbury pie crust but made the filling per the instructions. Easy to do and I highly recommend!