Strawberry Custard Tarts

Method

1. Preheat the oven 180°C (160°C fan / gas mark 4)

2. Roll out the pastry and line 4 individual 10cm tartlet tins, trimming any excess pastry that overhangs the sides.

3. Lightly prick the base of the pastry with a fork and place in the fridge for 15 minutes to prevent shrinkage when baking.

4. Once chilled, filled the tart tins with baking paper and baking beans and bake for 10-12 minutes before removing the baking paper and bake for a further 10-12 minutes, until the base of the pastry is dry, crisp and golden in colour.

5. Leave the tarts to one side to cool.

6. To make the custard; heat the cream in a saucepan over a medium heat until it reaches boiling point, then add the teabags and remove from the heat to stew for a few minutes.

7. In a separate bowl, beat together the caster sugar, vanilla bean paste, egg yolks and cornflour until light and fluffy.

8. Squeeze the teabags to release any excess flavour and remove the teabags from the cream. Pour half of it in with the egg mixture and blend together.

9. Add the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining cream and heat gently for 1-2 minutes, continuously stirring until the custard begins to thicken.

10. Once thickened, allow the custard to cool and chill in the fridge.

11. Pipe the cooled custard into the pastry cases, top with some sliced strawberries and dust with icing sugar.