Portuguese custard tarts

Steps

1. 1

   Roll the pastry, dust the work surface with flour and icing sugar, roll to a 45 x 30 cm rectangle, then roll lengthways to form a long sausage.

2. 2

   Cut the pastry into 24 rounds about 1-2 cm thick.

3. 3

   Roll out each pastry portion and fit into two 12-hole fairy cake tins.

4. 4

   Press pastry circles into the tins to form thin cases; chill until needed.

5. 5

   Make the infused syrup: preheat the oven to 220C; bring sugar, 200 ml water, lemon zest and cinnamon stick to the boil and reduce until syrupy; allow to cool, then remove the cinnamon and lemon. Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and cornflour in another pan until smooth.

6. 6

   Make custard: heat the milk with vanilla seeds until just below the boil; gradually pour the hot milk over the eggs and cornflour, then cook on low heat, whisking continually.

7. 7

   Add the cooled sugar syrup to the custard and whisk until thickened slightly.

8. 8

   Pour custard into the tins: sieve the custard and fill pastry cases; bake for 15 minutes until the pastry is golden and the custard has darkened.

9. 9

   Cool completely in the tins, then sift over icing sugar and ground cinnamon to serve.