SWEET SHORTCRUST PASTRY

250g plain flour 100g cold unsalted butter, chopped 150g raw caster sugar large pinch of finely ground sea salt 1 egg, lightly whisked

To make pastry, place flour and butter in a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add sugar, salt and egg, and gently knead until dough comes together into a ball. Wrap in baking paper and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour to rest. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease twelve 9.5cm round fluted tart pans with removable bases. Roll out dough between 2 sheets of baking paper until 2–3mm thick (these tarts are loveliest when the pastry is very thin). Cut out 12 discs, slightly larger than tops of tart pans, and use to line prepared pans (make sure there are no holes or cracks in pastry cases). Blind bake for 8–10 minutes or until pastry is just set and is dry to touch but not coloured. (You only want the pastry to firm up a little, so there’s no need to use baking beads.) Meanwhile, place cream, honey and salt in a medium saucepan and stir over a low heat until honey dissolves. Add semola and whisk vigorously until well combined. Add eggs and whisk to combine. Remove from heat. Strain custard through a fine sieve into a large heatproof jug. Carefully pour hot custard among pastry cases until it reaches a depth of about 1cm. Bake for 15–18 minutes or until custard is just set. Transfer pans to a wire rack and set aside for 15 minutes to cool. Remove tarts from pans. Decorate tarts with micro red amaranth or sprinkle with freshly ground cinnamon to serve. Best eaten warm or at room temperature. *A fine semolina flour available at some delicatessens and Italian grocers. If semola is unavailable, substitute cornflour. Don’t use coarse semolina.