Basil Crème Pâtissière Summer Tartlets

how_make

1. Preheat oven to 190°C, 170°C fan, Gas mark 5. Grease 6 x 10cm fluted tartlet tins.
2. Place the flour, Stork Block and caster sugar into a food processor and blitz until mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 2 brimming dessert spoons of cold water and blitz again until a dough just forms. Turn out onto a floured surface, roll out thinly and line 6 tartlet tins, trim the pastry. Leave to rest for 15 minutes in the fridge
3. Then place on a baking sheet, prick the bases lightly with a fork and bake blind for 15 minutes.  Remove the baking beans and greaseproof and bake for a further 5 minutes or until pastry is cooked and tinged golden brown. Leave to cool.
4. Using a pestle and mortar thoroughly pound the basil leaves and sugar, until the sugar is green. Place the Stork, flour, Elmlea, milk and essence together in a saucepan. Bring to the boil whisking constantly until thickened. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks and the basil sugar, leave to cool.
5. Divide the pastry cream between the pastry cases. Hull and thinly slice the strawberries and arrange in a circle over the cream. Finish with a strawberry in the centre, dust with icing sugar and serve.