Strawberry and champagne tarts

Afternoon tea just isn’t complete without a strawberry tart. It is classically filled with a vanilla crème pâtissière and here, I’ve made mine with champagne (prosecco will work well, too) to make the tart even more decadent. Add a simple apricot glaze and a touch of gold leaf and you’ll think you’re taking tea in a five-star hotel.

You will need a 8-9cm round cookie cutter, a 12 x 7cm mini tart pan or a 12-hole muffin pan, baking beans (optional). Start by making the pastry. Cream the butter, sugar and salt together in a stand mixer or in a bowl with a handheld electric whisk until pale – this will take three to four minutes.

With the mixer running, gradually add the egg with the vanilla bean paste, mixing until fully incorporated. Gently mix in the flour but do not overwork the dough. Bring the dough together into a ball, wrap in clingfilm, flatten into a disc and chill for at least two hours or until needed.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of no more than 2mm. Stamp out discs from the dough using the cookie cutter. Neatly line the tart pans with the pastry discs and trim off any excess with a small sharp knife. Prick the bases with a fork, line with a square of baking parchment or foil and fill with baking beans or rice. Arrange the pans on a baking sheet and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) gas 4. Bake the pastry cases on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for about 10-12 minutes or until pale golden. Remove the baking beans or rice and parchment or foil and continue to cook for one minute until the bases are crisp. Remove from the oven and cool. Remove the cases and arrange on a tray.

Prepare the crème pâtissière. Cut the vanilla pod in half down its length and pop into a small saucepan. Add the cream and champagne and bring slowly to the boil over a low heat. Combine the sugar, egg yolks and cornflour in a mixing bowl and beat until pale and smooth.

As soon as the cream mixture comes to the boil, remove it from the heat and pour half into the mixing bowl, whisking constantly until smooth.

Using a rubber spatula, scoop the mixture back into the pan and return to a low heat, stirring constantly until the crème pâtissière just starts to boil and thickens quite considerably. Slide the pan off the heat, remove the vanilla pod, add the butter and mix until combined.

Divide the crème pâtissière between the pastry cases and spread level. Leave to cool for 10 minutes. Quarter the strawberries and arrange on top of the crème pâtissière. Warm the apricot jam – either in a small pan over a low heat or in the microwave in short bursts. Pass through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps and gently brush over the top of the strawberries.

Decorate each tart with a piece of gold leaf, if you wish, and leave for 30 minutes or so to allow the jam to set before serving.