4 sheets sweet short pastry
3 cups cream
½ cup caster sugar
1 vanilla bean, split
Dash kirsch or cherry liqueur (optional)
6 egg yolks, whisked
¼ cup icing sugar
To garnish: fresh cherries with stalks on, red liquorice strips & fresh mint leaves
Preheat oven to 180 degC.
Cut 16 x 12cm circles from pastry & line large (texas) muffin tins. Prick well & chill 10 minutes. Bake 8-10 minutes or until pastry is just firm but not coloured.
Place cream, caster sugar & kirsch in a pot. Scrape vanilla seeds into liquid add the pod. Heat to near boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat take out vanilla pod. Whisk hot cream into egg yolks. Let mixture cool for 5 minutes before filling partly cooked tart cases. Reduce oven to 170 degC & bake 15-20 minutes or until set. Cool completely.
Dust tarts with icing sugar & caramelize under a grill or by gas torch. Serve immediately, garnished with mint & bunches of cherries tied with red liquorice.
(Makes 16).