Almond Custard Cups

Category: Cakes and Bakes

Servings

Makes 18 Cups

Ingredients

Pastry 175g (6oz) plain flour pinch of salt 115g (4oz) butter 55g (2oz) ground almonds 55g (2oz) caster sugar 1 egg yolk 2-3 x 5ml spoons (2-3 tsp.) water to mix Filling 600ml (1 pint) prepared cold custard approx. 1/2 x 2.5ml spoon (1/4 tsp.) almond essence 225g (8oz) fresh fruit in season - i.e. blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes 15g (1/2oz) flaked almonds, lightly toasted icing sugar, sieved for dredging

Method

To make pastry, sift flour and salt together in a large bowl and rub in butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in ground almonds and sugar. Add egg yolk with enough water to form a firm dough. Knead lightly until smooth. Roll out pastry thinly and use to line 18 x 8cm (3 inch) deep, straight-sided patty tins. Prick pastry bases and bake blind at 200øC, 400øF, Gas Mark 6 for 15-20 minutes. Leave to cool. For the filling, add almond essence to custard and whisk until smooth. Spoon into pastry cups. Arrange fruit on top and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Dredge with icing sugar just before serving. PER SERVING 156 Kcal, fat 8.5g saturated 3.6g, salt 0.2g, carbohydrate 17.1g, sugar 8.4g, fibre 0.9g