CUSTARD TARTS RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Take a sheet of shortcrust pastry and use a 10cm cookie cutter to cut 12 circles into the pastry. Press each circle into the holes of a cupcake tray. Scrunch up squares of baking paper, then use to line each of the pastry cases. Fill each with baking beans or uncooked rice, pressing them in a little, and bake for 10 mins. Remove the beans/rice and the baking paper and bake for 5 mins more, until the base is starting to colour slightly. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 140C/120C fan/gas 1.
• Bring the cream, milk, vanilla bean paste and a small grating of nutmeg to the boil. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until pale, then pour the hot milk and cream over, beating as you go. Strain custard into a jug, allow to settle for a few mins, then skim off any froth.
• Pour the custard into each of the tart cases, filling them as high as you can. Grate over a little more nutmeg on each, then carefully place back into the oven and bake for 15-20 mins, until the tarts look set with a slight wobble. Remove and cool, serve with a little more nutmeg freshly grated over the top.

Steps:

• To make the pastry, stir the flour and ground almonds together in a large bowl, then add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
• Break in the egg and work it into the mixture with your fingers, bringing it together to form a soft dough.
• Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and shape it into a ball. Flatten with your fingers to a disc and wrap in cling film. Leave to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
• Roll out the sweet pastry on a lightly floured work surface.
• Using an 11cm/4½in fluted cutter, cut out twelve discs and line the muffin tray moulds with the pastry circle. The pastry should overlap the top of the moulds by a few millimetres, so that you can crimp the edges if you wish.
• For the custard filling, warm the milk in a saucepan, and beat the egg yolks and sugar together in a separate bowl until pale and creamy.
• Pour the milk onto the egg yolk mixture and stir well, creating little bubbles.
• Transfer the custard mixture into a pouring jug with a lip, then fill each of the tart cases.
• Sprinkle a small pinch of ground nutmeg into the middle of each tart.
• Bake the tarts in the oven for about 25 minutes - you may need to turn the temperature down to 180C/350F/Gas 4 for the final 10 minutes. You are looking for a very slight dome on the custard, indicating that it is baked. If the custard domes too much this indicates that you have over-cooked the custard, it will have boiled, and will sink back down leaving a big dip. If this does happen you can help rescue it by removing the tarts from the oven immediately and placing the tin in cold water on a cold surface.
• Cool in the tin for 30 minutes and then carefully remove from the moulds. The base of the tarts should be perfectly baked through, without having over-cooked the custard filling.