Connections Made Easy - With Food

It was a "Sabrina" moment. 

Ever had one of those moments where a friend messages and says they're on their way over? I scrambled through the fridge to find I had some egg yolks left over from dinner and puff pastry....easy custard tarts for afternoon tea.

Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina goes to Bogart's cupboard to fid it bare but somehow manages to pull off a dinner the millionaire is impressed with. Well, why not? 

Back when I was a kid, my parents used to always have their go-to's for when family or friends would stop by.
Mum and Dad used to have Amareti biscuits or almond biscuit slices for sweets; there were boxes of chocolates hidden away in the pantry along with home made treats. They were there for us kids to eat but we never over indulged, so ultimately there was always something to give to guests. 

I find that as I've gotten older, we don't really do this anymore. Why not? We should. It's just about being hospitable. Knock on the neighbours door with a little something left over. Start a conversation. We're human after all and it's nice to meet people and get to know someone new or reconnect with a friend you haven't seen in ages.

With the Covid pandemic, we were told to stop entertaining and not to visit anymore. As humans we need connection. We crave contact. As much as we tell ourselves we're happy on our own. Try it and you'll be amazed at the people out there and their stories.

Whatever happened to community and knowing who lived down the street? Have we really become so insulated. So introverted in life, yet extroverted on social media? "Bugger that!", I say. 

My Easy Custard Tarts are a little Portuguese; a little left over ingredients... and a lot rustic. I'm hoping they will satisfy your hunt for good easy food, as much as they did mine. Make them yours and make a connection! 

Easy Custard Tarts

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total: 50 minutes

With some left over egg yolks and a couple of sheets of thawed puff pastry, these custard tarts will have you making new friends in no time.

Recipe 

2 x Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed

A sprinkle of Caster Sugar

Canola Oil Spray

4 tbsp. Cornflour

4 tbsp. Custard Powder

4 cups Milk - at room temperature

8 Egg Yolks

1 1/2 cups Caster Sugar 

1 squirt of Queen Vanilla Bean Paste

Method - Tart Shells

Heat your oven up to 180 degrees Celsius.

Cut your two puff pastry sheets in half. Sprinkle caster sugar on two halves and then place the plain section on top of the one with the sugar. 

Roll up the two sections width ways and then with a sharp knife, slice each roll in half on chopping board.
Slice in half once more until you have four sections on each roll. Each of those sections is then sliced into three equal portions.

Lightly dust your chopping board with some flour and place one cut section flat in the centre of the board.

With a small rolling pin, roll each cut section until you have approximately a 10cm round. They don't need to be perfect - we want a rustic look.

Spray a 12 Cavity Muffin tray with Canola oil and gently place a puff pastry round into each hole.

Once the trays are full, place them into the fridge while making the custard.

Method - Custard Filling

In a saucepan on the stove, on low heat, add the cornflour, custard powder and milk. Whisk together to ensure there are no lumps forming. 

Once you have a smooth liquid, add the egg yolks and turn the heat up to medium. Keep stirring with your whisk as the custard will form quicker than you think.

As soon as the custard is thick, sieve the sugar over the pan and allow it to dissolve. Remove from the heat.

Squeeze the vanilla bean paste in and give the custard one last whisk. Leave to cool slightly - especially if you prefer to use a piping bag to fill...or you can use a tablespoon. 
With the latter, place the piping bag into a tall glass, roll the top over the sides of the glass and make sure the bag isn't clumped together, Pour the custard into the glass until almost full, pull the sides of the bag up and twist the top end. Holding the tip, snip with a pair of scissors and start filling the tart shells.

If you prefer to use a spoon, roughly two tablespoons per tart should be adequate.

Put the filled tarts into the oven for 20 minutes. They are ready when the tops are slightly brown in colour.

When it's time to remove the custard tarts from the oven, be aware that they will have risen and may flatten out as a they cool. After waiting 5 minutes, use a spatula to assist in removing the tarts from the tray and place them onto a wire rack to completely cool. This ensures the tart shell remains crispy.

Plate up/Box up and gift them! Enjoy! 

Happy Hunting!