Kirstie's Handmade Britain

Jenny Lidster gives Kirstie Allsopp a run for her money in the afternoon tea competition with her tasty tarts

Makes 12 tarts

• 160g butter
• 1 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
• 120g flour
• 2 egg yolks (the whites can be used for coating the inside of the pastry cases)
• 200g sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 1-2 bananas
• 100g milk chocolate
• juice of ½ a lime or lemon

1. Mix the icing sugar and flour together. Cut 60g butter into the flour and sugar mixture. Stir the egg yolks into the mixture to bind it together into a ball. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 2 hours.


2. Melt the remaining 100g of butter in the microwave (in a large microwaveable bowl) for 2-3 minutes, or on a low heat in a small saucepan. Add the condensed milk and golden syrup. Whisk the mixture well until the butter is thoroughly incorporated. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 8-10 minutes until it has thickened and turned a light golden-brown colour. Stir regularly and watch very carefully to make sure the toffee mixture doesn't burn. Leave to cool.


3. Preheat oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas mark 5.


4. Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Roll out the pastry and cut into 12 rounds with a 7cm pastry cutter and place in a 12 hole tart (mince pie) tin.


5. Tear off small bits of baking parchment and line each pastry case. Pour in enough baking beans to weigh the paper down and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the tray from oven and take out the paper and the beans.


6. Brush the inside and top edge of each case with a light coating of beaten egg/egg white and put back in the oven and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Once the cases are cool enough to handle remove from the tin and place on a cooling rack.


7. Melt 50g of milk chocolate in the microwave and using a pastry brush, paint a layer inside each cooled pastry case. Wait until the chocolate has set and then spoon teaspoonfuls of the toffee mixture into each case so the toffee is level or nearly level with the top of the pastry cases.


8. Slice the banana and place 2-3 slices on top of the toffee in each tart. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon or lime and paint a very light coating over each banana slice, this prevents them from going brown.


9. Decorate the tarts by melting some more of the chocolate and piping swirls, dots or any pattern you fancy on top.


10. Eat!

TOP TIPS

• The pastry is a very rich, short pastry so handle as little as possible.
• Other fruit like raspberries or strawberries can be substituted in place of the bananas and dark chocolate can be used instead of milk.