Sit back on a summery day and snack on these stacked custard slices. Adding lemon curd to the creamy filling and sandwiching between buttery pastry, gives an elegant bake that tastes just as good as it looks. Perfect for picnics, parties and afternoon teas.
- Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Put the milk and vanilla in a pan over a medium heat. Bring almost to the boil, remove from the heat; set aside. Soak the gelatine in cold water.
- In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, egg yolks and flour until pale. Stir in the warm milk, then pour into a clean pan. Warm over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring continuously, until smooth.
- Squeeze out the liquid from the gelatine, then whisk into the custard. Pour into a bowl and cover the surface with clingfilm; leave to cool.
- Cut the pastry in half, wrap one piece in clingfilm and set aside. Roll out the remaining half to a 25cm (10in) square and transfer to a baking tray lined with nonstick baking paper. Cover with another sheet of nonstick baking paper, then top with a second tray, weighed down with baking beans. Bake for 30 minutes, or until crisp. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the second piece of pastry.
- Line a 20cm (8in) baking tin with clingfilm. Trim the pastry pieces to the same size; put one in the tin. Give the custard a stir to loosen, then gently fold in the lemon curd. Spread the custard evenly over the pastry base, then top with the second piece of pastry. Chill for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the icing. In a small bowl, mix the icing sugar with the lemon zest and a squeeze of juice, until smooth. Remove a spoonful of the mixture to another small bowl and stir in a little yellow food colouring.
- Spread the white icing over the pastry. Using a spoon, drizzle lines of yellow icing over the white icing at even intervals. Drag a toothpick through the yellow lines to create a feathered effect. Chill for 1 hour before cutting into slices to serve.
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