Tart Shell

Preheat the oven to 180C

Prepare 6 small 11cm non stick tart tins by spraying them with non stick cooking spray. Line each one with shortcrust pastry making sure you don’t stretch the pastry to prevent shrinking. Allow the pastry to hang slightly over the edge of each tart tin. Place tart tins on a tray and line each with baking paper. If you crumple the baking paper in your hand first it will fit inside the tart shell easier. Fill with dried peas of chick peas and place the tray into the oven. Place into the fridge until completely chilled.

Cook for approx 20 – 25mins until the tart shells are golden brown. Approx 5mins onto the cooking, take the tart shells from the oven and press down on the tin edges and this will release the excess pastry hanging over the edge without damaging the shell and allow a the shell to cook without the edges shrinking. 

Once cooked, remove the tarts from the oven and then remove the baking paper and pea weights. If the shells are a little soft still in the centre of the base, turn the oven off and place the tray back into the oven to dry a little.

Place aside to cool completely.

Custard

Place cream and milk into a small saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir constantly for 5 minutes or until hot and tiny bubbles start to appear on the surface (do not allow to boil). Remove saucepan from heat.

Whisk egg yolks, cornflour and sugar in a heatproof bowl until well combined. Pour hot milk mixture slowly over egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 15 to 20 minutes or until custard thickens and coats the back of a metal spoon (do not allow custard to boil, as it might curdle). Add a pinch if salt.

Pears

Peel the pears, but leave the stalk on and for these small pears don’t core. Place the pears onto an oven tray lined with baking paper and place into the 180C oven and cook for approx 15 – 20mins until just cooked through. You can test to see if they are soft enough by inserting a skewer into the base of the pear. Try not to lift them by the stalk so you don’t accidentally break the stalk off.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Walnuts

Place the walnuts so they are completely separated from each other onto an oven tray lined with baking paper and sprinkle with the brown sugar and dizzle a little honey. Place into the oven and cook for approx 6-8mins watching carefully that they dont burn. Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

Assembly

Pour the custard evenly into the six tart shells. 

Stand a pear into the centre of each custard filled tart shell and then place the walnuts in the custard as decorations against the pears.

Just before serving, heat the honey until it is just only warm enough to be able to pour as a thick honey and then pour over the top of each pear so that its coats the pear and drizzles into the custard.

Serve immediately.

By: Chrissy Rob