Ingredients
Method
1.Chop cold butter. Sift flour into large bowl; rub in butter until crumbly. Mix in enough of the water to make ingredients just come together. Knead dough lightly on floured surface until smooth. Flatten pastry slightly, wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes.
2.Grease eight 8cm round loose-based fluted flan pans. Divide pastry into eight equal portions. Roll out each portion on floured surface or between sheets of baking paper until large enough to line pans.
3.Lift pastry into pans; press over bases and sides, trim excess pastry. Prick bases all over with fork, place pans on oven tray; refrigerate 30 minutes.
4.Preheat oven to 200°C.
5.Line pastry with baking paper; fill with dried beans or rice. Bake 15 minutes; remove paper and beans. Bake a further 10 minutes or until browned lightly and crisp. Cool. Drop 1 tsp jam into each tart shell.
6.Split vanilla bean lengthways; scrape seeds into medium saucepan; add bean and milk. Bring to the boil; remove from heat. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar and cornflour until combined; gradually whisk in hot milk mixture. Strain into same saucepan; discard vanilla bean. Whisk over high heat until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat; spoon into tart shells. Cool 5 minutes; refrigerate until cold.
7.Sprinkle custard with extra sugar. Using a blowtorch, caramelise sugar. Stand 5 minutes or until caramel cools and sets.
You can also make the pastry using a food processor. Process flour and butter until crumbly; with motor operating, add the water and process until ingredients just come together. Or you can use ready-made shortcrust pastry. If you don’t have a blowtorch (available from kitchenware and hardware stores), then place the remaining sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a small heavy-based saucepan over medium heat; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil. Cook, without stirring, for 5 minutes, until syrup turns deep golden. Remove from heat. Pour over cold custards and stand for 1 minute until caramel sets.
Note
