makes around 16 pastry cases -
pastry
approx 90z slab of puff pastry
1 egg yolk
4 tbsp caster sugar
a light grating of nutmeg
a couple of pinches of cinnamon
dust a surface with flour and roll out your pastry to a bit bigger than an a4 size sheet of paper. Brush with the egg yolk and scatter the rest of the ingredients over, being subtle with the nutmeg and cinnamon. Roll the pastry up tightly like a swiss roll to make a long sausage shape. With a knife, cut across the sausage into 1 inch pieces. Take 8 pieces aside and freeze the rest for a rainy day.
Preheat the oven to 200/400/gas 6. Turn all the pieces of pastry swirl side up and flatten them slightly. dust the surface and your pastry with flour, then roll each piece out into a thin circle (aroundthe size of a teacup saucer). Grease and flour the outsides of 8 glass tumbles. Place each circle of pastry on top of each tumble, pleating, pinching and hugging the pastry around them. Place the tumblers on a baking tray, pastry at the top and put in the preheated oven for around 15 mins until crisp and golden.
Remove from the oven and while still hot, take a tea towel and pat the slightly raised top of the pastry back down on to the bottome of the tumbler - giving you a flat base again. Allow to cool and carefully remove the cases from around the tumblers.
custard makes enough for 8 cases
6 large eggs
4 dessertspoons runny honey
2 vanilla pods, scored lengthwise and seeds removed
zest of 1 orange
1 pt double cream
Whip up the eggs, honey, vanilla seeds and orange zest in a bowl. At the same time, in a thick bottomed pan, heat the cream until nearly boiling. Add it immediately to the rest of the ingredents in the bowl, while whipping fast with a whisk for 30 seconds. Add the mixture back to the pan on a medium heat, stirring all the time and using a spatula to get into the edges. When it gets as thick as yoghurt, spoon into your pastry cases and allow to cool. A skin will begin to form on top of each pie.
caramel
1 big handful of caster sugar
3 tblsp of water
Place sugar and water in a pan, bring to boil and gently agitate until golden brown. Dribble randomly over your tarts!