Recipe Vicki Ravlich-Horan, Images Ashlee DeCaires
These fancy custard squares look impressive, and I agree they have a few steps and can be a little fiddly, but don’t put them in the too-hard basket!
I made mine round for a dainty high tea or dessert option, but you could keep things simple and cut the pastry into rectangles for a more traditional shape.
Another option is to just have one layer of custard (instead of two). In this case you will need more pastry.
If you want to go all out, you could make your own flaky pastry, but this was a step too far for me! Instead, buy good quality pastry, like Paneton (available from Vetro, La Cave and xx)
Makes 6
2 cups milk
1 vanilla pod or 2 tsp vanilla paste
6 egg yolks
½ cup sugar
¼ cup flour
2 tsp gelatine
1 cup Tatua mascarpone
2 sheets of ready rolled flaky pastry
1 punnet of fresh raspberries
½ cup icing sugar
1 tbsp hot water
½ tsp vanilla extract
Place the milk in a small saucepan along with the split vanilla pod or the vanilla paste. Heat until just before it boils.
While the milk is heating, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and flour together until pale.
Carefully pour the warmed milk into the beaten egg yolks, whisking continuously.
Pour the mixture back into the pot, and over a medium heat continue to whisk until the custard thickens. Don’t overheat or the custard will curdle.
Bloom the gelatine by placing it in a small bowl with 2 tbsp of water. Stir and let it sit for 2–3 minutes. Whisk this into the still hot custard. Allow the custard to cool a little. Then fold in the mascarpone. Cover and cool completely in the fridge.
Cut the pastry into 18 identical sized pieces. I used an 8cm round cookie cutter and got 9 rounds per sheet. Place the pastry pieces on a lined oven tray. Prick them with a fork then cover with a piece of baking paper and another oven tray.
Bake in the oven at 200°C for 12–15 minutes, or until golden but not brown.
Optional – dust the hot pastry with icing sugar, which will give it a slight sweet touch.
When the pastry has completely cooled, place the custard mixture in a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle between 100–140mm.
Group the pastry into threes. Ice one in every three pastry discs and allow these to set.
Then place the raspberries on one out of every three pastry discs, leaving a gap between each berry. Pipe the custard between each berry and in the middle.
Top with another pastry disc and repeat. Top this with an iced pastry disc. To complete the look, you can decorate with a little freeze dried raspberries.
To make the icing –
Mix together the icing sugar with the hot water and vanilla extract until smooth.
Mascarpone
Mascarpone is often described as an Italian cream cheese. This is technically correct, as an acid (citric or tartaric) has been used to curdle the cream, like you would when making cheese. But the term ‘cream cheese’ to most New Zealanders has us thinking of the Philadelphia version we use to make cheesecake. Mascarpone, on the other hand, is creamier, softer and smoother and less acidic.
Most would have used it when making tiramisu, but its thick, creamy texture and taste mean it can be used in many other ways. My fridge is never without a packet of Tatua mascarpone. I add it to pasta, soups, risotto, sauces, cheesecakes and icings. Sweetened, a dollop of mascarpone served with dessert beats whipped cream every time.