RECIPES FOR 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:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease the wells of a 12-hole muffin tray with butter.
• In a pan, heat the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour over a low to medium heat, whisking continuously until thickened and well combined.
• Add the vanilla seeds, then add the milk and cream in a thin stream, whisking continuously, until the mixture is thick, smooth and well combined.
• Continue to stir the custard mixture until it comes to the boil, then remove from the heat and cover the surface with cling film. (This prevents a skin from forming on the custard.)
• Roll out the puff pastry onto a clean work surface lightly dusted with flour and icing sugar. Cut the pastry in half and place one sheet on top of the other. Roll the pastry sheets up like a Swiss roll and cut the roll into twelve slices.
• Lay each of the rolled pastry slices flat onto the work surface and roll out into 10cm/4in discs using a rolling pin.
• Press a pastry disc into each of the wells of the prepared muffin tray. Divide the cooled custard equally among the pastry cases.
• Transfer the muffin tray to the oven and bake the tarts for 18-20 minutes, or until the custard has set and is pale golden-brown and the pastry is crisp and golden-brown. Allow to cool in the tin.