HAY CUSTARD AND TAYBERRY TART

Makes 6 INGREDIENTS:

For the pastry: 350g plain flour; 100g icing sugar; 225g diced, cold unsalted butter; pinch of salt; 3 eggs (3 yolks, 1 white)

For the hay-infused cream: 30g hay (pet shops are a great place to get hold of some); 600ml double cream

For the custard: 140g egg yolks, from about 7 eggs; 50g caster sugar; 450g hay-infused cream

To serve: 200g tayberries, plus 100g per tart; 100g icing sugar

METHOD 1.

For the pastry: Blitz the flour, icing sugar, butter and salt to fine breadcrumbs in a food processor. Add the egg yolks and mix until the dough starts to come together. Turn onto a work surface and knead firmly to bring the dough together. Wrap in cling film and chill until firm.

2. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 2-3mm then cut out 15cm circles. Press into six 10cm tart cases. Chill for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Trim the excess pastry. Line each tart with scrunched-up baking parchment and baking beans and bake for 12-15 minutes until the top edge starts to colour. Remove beans and return tarts to oven for a further five minutes or until golden brown. Brush the insides with beaten egg white and cool, still in their cases.

4. For the cream: Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the hay on a baking tray and top with a cooling rack to weigh it down. Toast in the oven for about 20 minutes until it smells very fragrant. Meanwhile, heat the cream in a saucepan on a low heat until it starts to steam. Add the toasted hay, cover tightly and leave to infuse in the fridge for three to four hours or overnight. Warm the cream gently then strain through a sieve, squeezing the hay to capture as much flavour as possible.

5. Preheat the oven to 115°C with as low a fan as possible. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar. Slowly whisk in the warm hay-infused cream. Pass through a fine sieve into a pan and heat gently until the custard reaches 40°C.

6. Place the tart cases on a baking tray and pour in the warmed custard. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the tarts have a gentle wobble. Cool before removing from the tart cases.

7. Blend 200g of tayberries with the icing sugar and pass through a fine sieve. Use this puree to dress the remaining tayberries and to cover the surface of the tarts before serving.