CUSTARD AND CITRUS FRUIT TART

Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6; roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface; use to line a 31cm x21cm loose-based flan tin

Line the pastry with greaseproof paper; fill with baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes; remove the paper and beans and continue baking for 5-10 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden; (cover pastry edges with foil if they start to overbrown); cool

Place the sugar and 150ml water in a pan; heat until the sugar dissolves; add the fruit and liqueur; bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes until the fruit is tender; cool

Lightly whip the cream; whisk cold custard until smooth and fold into the cream; spoon into the pastry case; drain the fruit and arrange on the tart; serve within 4 hours

pour the milk into a medium sized heavy based pan; using a sharp knife, cut the vanilla pod in half lengthways, use the tip of the knife to scrape out the seeds; add to the milk with pod

heat the milk gently until almost boiling; remove the pan from the heat; set aside to infuse for about 15 minutes

beat the egg yolks and caster sugar with a balloon whisk until thick and creamy; sift the cornflour onto the mixture and continue whisking until blended

bring the vanilla milk back to near boiling point; strain over the egg mixture, whisking continuously until smooth;

rinse out the pan; pour the mixture back into the pan and gently heat over a very low heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until slightly thickened; do not allow it to boil; the custard is ready when it coats the back of the spoon and leaves a clear trail when a finger is drawn through.