James Martin Vanilla Slice Food

VANILLA CUSTARD SLICES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll out 250g of the pastry on a sheet of baking parchment to about 25cm square. Scatter over half the almonds, then press them in very gently, dust with half the icing sugar and lay over a second sheet of baking parchment. Lift onto a baking sheet, and sit another baking sheet on top like a sandwich. Fill a few small tins with baking beans (or something similarly heavy and ovenproof, like uncooked rice). Bake for 30 mins, then have a quick peek - it will probably need another 5 mins to be well browned and crisp all over.
• Remove from the oven, take off the weights and top baking tray, then carefully lift off the top sheet of parchment and leave to cool. Repeat with the remaining pastry - you can do both sheets at once if you have enough baking sheets and tins, but they might not cook as evenly with two in the oven, so it is safer to do one at a time. Cool both completely.
• Put the gelatine in a bowl of cold water to soften, then put the remaining custard ingredients in a big saucepan. Set over a low heat to start, whisking continuously to mix well, then increase the heat a little until the custard is gently boiling. Keep whisking the whole time - the custard will thicken and lump unevenly, but keep cooking and whisking until it is smooth and very thick.
• Remove the custard from the heat and take out the vanilla pod. Squeeze out the water from the gelatine sheet, then stir it into the custard until it has dissolved.
• Line the base and sides of a 20cm square tin with baking parchment - criss-crossing two big strips will give you the neatest corners. Using a big, sharp knife and a ruler - or the base of your tin if it is removable - trim one pastry sheet to a shade under a 20cm square, so it will sit inside the tin, almond-side down. Spread over the custard as evenly as you can. Trim the second pastry sheet in the same way, but then divide the square into eight 10 x 5cm rectangles (so it will be easier when you cut the slices later). Sit them on top of the custard, almond-side up, putting them back together a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. Gently press down on the pastry so it doesn't break but sticks to the custard, then cover and chill for 4 hrs or so, but better still overnight.
• To serve, lift the slice from the tin and cut all the way through where the pastry top is already cut. Dust the slices with a little more icing sugar and serve. Best eaten within 24 hours, when the pastry is still good and crisp.

VANILLA SLICE

Steps:

• Line a 23cm square slab pan with foil, bring foil up to overlap sides of pan.
• Place pastry sheets on lightly greased oven trays.
• Bake in a hot oven about 6 minutes, or until well browned.
• Cool.
• Gently flatten pastry with hand.
• Fit 1 pastry sheet in prepared pan.
• Combine sugar, cornflour and custard powder in pan.
• Gradually stir in milk. Stir until smooth.
• Add butter and stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens.
• Simmer, stirring, about 3 minutes or until very thick and smooth.
• Remove from heat and stir in yolks and essence.
• Pour hot custard over pastry in pan.
• Top with remaining sheet of pastry, flat side up.
• Press down slightly.
• Cool.
• Spread pastry with passionfruit icing.
• Cut when set.
• FOR THE ICING:.
• Sift icing sugar into small heat-proof bowl.
• Stir in butter, passionfruit juice and enough water to make a stiff paste.
• Stir icing over hot water until spreadable.
• Recipe can be made a day ahead.
• Store covered in refrigerator.
• Do not freeze or microwave.

VANILLA SLICE

Steps:

• Method
• Pre-heat the oven to 200° C (400° F - Gas 6)
• Leave the pastry at room temperature for a little while before rolling
• Cut the contents of packet in half and roll out each piece into 30 cm squares
• Place each square on an un-greased baking tray and stab all over with the tines/prongs of a fork to lessen the chance of it rising too much
• Bake for about 10 minutes or until browned
• Carefully trim each sheet to about 23 cm square and pat any risen areas back down with your hands
• Line a 23 cm square baking tray with tin-foil and allow plenty of overlap for easy removal
• Place one sheet of the pastry in the foil
• Add the sugar, cornflour and custard powder to a cold saucepan, add a little milk and combine to a paste
• Whisk in the remaining milk and mix well
• Add the butter, heat the pan and gently bring to the boil, stirring often
• Reduce the heat, stir in the vanilla essence and simmer for 3 minutes to thicken
• Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl and then whisk into the pan
• Pour the hot custard over the first piece of puff pastry, cover with the second sheet and pat down so it comes into contact with the custard everywhere
• Lemon icing
• Beat the lemon juice and zest in with the butter. It may help to microwave the butter for a few seconds to soften first
• Beat in the icing sugar and add a little water if needed
• Allow the sandwich to cool then spread the icing evenly over the top
• Chill in the refrigerator