Creamy passion fruit curd tarts with caramel

Serves SERVES 8

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Method

First, make the curd. While the curd cools, make the tart cases. Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/ Gas 7. Roll the block of dough then fold it up and form it into a ball – this makes shop-bought pastry more pliable for use. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll each piece as thinly as possible one at a time. Cut out circles large enough to line each tin. Roll or press over the top of the tin to cut off any excess pastry. Prick the pastry base with a fork.

Place the pastry tins in the freezer for 10 minutes. Bake blind for 15-20 minutes. Remove the blind filling and cook for a further 5 minutes or until crisp and golden. Place on a rack to cool and after 10 minutes remove from the tins and cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge until needed.

In a bowl, whisk the cream until just floppy then fold in the reserved curd a little at a time until well mixed. Store in the fridge until required. Fill the tart cases with the creamy curd mixture and place in the fridge for 1-5 hours.

To make the caramel, start by extracting the passion fruit juice from the pulp using the method described in the recipe for passion fruit dressing (left). Place the sugar in a medium pan with 4tbsp of boiling water and dissolve the sugar over a low heat. Increase the heat and boil until it turns a pale amber colour. Turn off the heat, add the juice and butter, pour into a bowl and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Drizzle over the tarts and serve.