Maple Pudding Oatmeal Cookie Tart

Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F) with a rack positioned in the center.

In a mixing bowl, combine the rolled oats, all-purpose flour, light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and fine sea salt, stirring until uniform.

Pour the melted unsalted butter and vanilla extract into the oat mixture, stirring thoroughly until all dry ingredients are moistened and form coarse, cohesive crumbs.

Transfer the crumb mixture into a 23 cm tart pan with removable bottom, pressing firmly and evenly into the base and up the fluted sides using the flat bottom of a glass.

Bake the crust at 175°C (350°F) for 16 to 18 minutes until fragrant and deeply golden brown around the edges.

Place the baked crust in its pan onto a wire cooling rack and let it cool completely to room temperature for 30 minutes.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, whole milk, and egg yolks until thoroughly dissolved with no lumps of starch remaining.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the pure maple syrup, heavy cream, and fine sea salt, heating over medium heat until steaming and tiny bubbles appear along the perimeter, reaching 75°C (167°F).

Slowly drizzle one-third of the hot maple cream into the egg yolk mixture while whisking vigorously to temper the yolks without curdling.

Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot maple liquid and return to medium heat, whisking constantly across the bottom and corners.

Bring the pudding to a boil until thick, glossy bubbles break the surface and the mixture registers at least 85°C (185°F) on an instant-read digital thermometer, boiling for a full 60 seconds while whisking rapidly to deactivate egg enzymes and set the starch.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, then whisk in the chilled diced unsalted butter and vanilla extract until completely melted and emulsified into a glossy custard.

Immediately strain the warm maple pudding through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the cooled oatmeal cookie crust, smoothing the top level with a silicone spatula.

Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming, then chill the tart in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours until thoroughly set and cold.

In a clean mixing bowl, whip the cold heavy cream and pure maple syrup using a stand mixer or hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until medium-stiff peaks form.

Remove the plastic wrap from the tart, gently push up the bottom of the pan to release the outer fluted ring, spoon the maple whipped cream over the set pudding, and garnish with toasted rolled oats and flaky sea salt before slicing with a clean chef knife.