Kendal Pudding

An open tart of puff pastry, mixed jams and a thin baked custard — a Victorian way of using up the last of several jam pots. The whole success of it lies in keeping the oven low enough that the custard sets without curdling into the jam.

• Slow oven"Slow oven" is usually reckoned at somewhere around 300F, and 300–325F suits a custard of this kind; anything hotter and the egg mixture will bubble, weep and separate from the jam beneath.
• The custard is unmeasured"Two eggs well beaten, mixed with milk and sugar; pour over until the dish is full" gives no quantities. Two eggs will set roughly a cup to a cup and a quarter of milk; scale the eggs to the size of your dish rather than the milk, or the top layer will never firm.
• Preserves, pluralThe inch-thick layer is specified as "two or three sorts of jam"; which jams and how they are arranged is left open. Very loose or syrupy jam will bleed up into the custard; stiff set jam holds the line.
• Blind bake the baseThe recipe gives no pre-baking step, but puff paste under a wet filling in a slow oven tends to go sodden; if you choose to blind bake the shell first, drop the oven back to a slow heat before the jam and custard go in.
• Lemon-peel"Lemon-peel chopped fine" here most likely means fresh peel pared thin and shredded rather than candied peel. The recipe strews it on before baking; in a hot oven it can scorch and turn bitter on top of the custard.
• Judging it done"A nice brown" is misleading for a custard — colour comes late and unevenly over jam. Take it out when the centre still has a slight wobble and a knife slid in an inch from the edge comes out clean; it will finish setting as it cools.
• Dish and yieldThe recipe specifies no dish or yield; a shallow 8–9 inch pie dish suits the proportions and would serve about six. Best eaten just warm or at room temperature, and any left over should be refrigerated, as with any egg custard.