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By Ìý

The custard in these tarts is richer and the pastry flakier than your standard English custard tart.Ìý

Ingredients

·Ìý 450g full fat milk

·ÌýÌý¼ rind of a lemon – you can cut thick ribbons of rind as it’ll be removed

·ÌýÌý3cm of a cinnamon stick

·ÌýÌý33g plain flour

·ÌýÌý 210g caster sugar

·ÌýÌý8 egg yolksÌý

Pastry

·ÌýGrab yourself some ready rolled puff pastry (or make your own!).

·ÌýUnroll on a lightly floured worktop, removing all packaging. Brush to top surface with a little water, then roll the pastry back up tightly, making sure the layers stick together. You want the log of pastry to be about 4cm diameter. Chill.

· To make the tart cases, remove the chilled pastry from the fridge, and slice into 1cm slices (about 18g).

· Pop each disk of pastry into the bottom of a shallow muffin tray mould. Using floured hands, press the pastry into the bottom of the mould from the centre, then work the pastry up the sides. You don’t want to put pressure on the very outside edge of the pastry. The pastry should be proud of the top of the tray. Chill well or freeze

Custard

·ÌýBoil milk over a medium heat with lemon rind and cinnamon stick. Stir occasionally to check it hasn't caught on the pan.

·ÌýIn a large bowl, separate the egg yolks and whisk to break apart.

·ÌýIn a separate bowl, combine the sugar and cake flour. Add this mixture to the egg yolks and whisk together by hand. The mixture will feel stiff initially but will loosen and become lighter in colour.

·ÌýOnce the milk has boiled, the sugar/flour mixture, whisking continuously.

·ÌýPass through a sieve into a jug. Chill until needed.Ìý

Tarts

·ÌýPre-heat your oven to 250-260C, you want to bake the tarts in a really hot oven for a short time. When your oven is up to temperature, remove the pastry cases from the freezer, and your custard from the fridge.

· Whisk the custard to make sure nothing is settled at the bottom, then pour into the moulds to just under a cm from the top of the pastry.

·ÌýPop them into the oven as quickly as possible, and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until they are dark and crisp on the edge, and the custard has domed on top. It should be glossy with dark patches.

Enjoy!