Orange and sauternes custard tarts with boozy raisins

Makes 12

For the custard

• 75g icing sugar
• 380g plain flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 220g butter
• 1 egg

For the raisins

• 400g double cream
• 1 vanilla pod
• 1 orange
• 4 egg yolks
• 55g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp corn flour
• 3 tbsp sauternes

• 3 tbsp sauternes
• 1 star anise
• 1 orange
• 100g raisins

Step 1
Put the icing sugar, flour, salt and butter in a food processor and blitz to the consistency of fine breadcrumbs.

Step 2
Add the egg and a teaspoon of cold water, and blitz a few times more: the dough should just come together (if it doesn’t, add another teaspoon of water and process again).

Step 3
Roll the dough into a ball, flatten it out a little, then wrap in clingfilm and put in the freezer for half an hour.

Step 4
Meanwhile, make the custard.

Step 5
Put the cream in a saucepan and add the vanilla pod, orange juice and zest.

Step 6
Bring up to boiling point, then turn off the heat at once and scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod into the cream (don’t throw out the pod: wash and dry it, then keep it in a jar of sugar for some homemade vanilla sugar).

Step 7
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, corn flour and pudding wine in a bowl, then pour in a ladle of the hot cream and whisk well.

Step 8
Beat in the rest of the hot cream, return the lot to the cream pan and put on a low heat.

Step 9
Stir regularly, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon; be careful not to let it boil, otherwise the eggs will curdle.

Step 10
Once the custard has thickened, leave to cool completely.

Step 11
Take the pastry out of the freezer, break off a third, wrap this in clingfilm and put in the fridge.

Step 12
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the remaining larger piece of pastry to 6-8mm thick, then use a round 7-8cm-diameter cookie cutter to cut out discs.

Step 13
Place these in a 12-hole muffin tin, gently pressing down the pastry discs into the holes, then pop the tray into the freezer for 15 minutes, to firm up.

Step 14
Take the smaller piece of pastry out of the fridge, roll that out to 6-8mm thick, too, then use the same cookie cutter to cut out 12 lids.

Step 15
Place these on a plate and put back in the fridge.

Step 16
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 170C/335F/gas mark 3.

Step 17
Put the sauternes, two tablespoons of water, the star anise and the orange juice in a small pan, bring to a boil, then turn off the heat, add the raisins and leave them for 10 minutes, to soak and plump up.

Step 18
Now you’re ready to bake.

Step 19
Scoop the raisins into the tarts with a fork (that way, you won’t risk adding too much soaking liquid to the filling).

Step 20
Spoon about two tablespoons of custard over each (you may have a little custard left over, but that’s no great hardship), then gently sit the lids on top and crimp together the edges.

Step 21
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden, then leave to cool completely before serving.