This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
On the cover of The Naughty Girls Book Club by Sophie Hart it says: 'passions will be awakened at…the naughty girls book club'. They certainly are. Not just for the erotica they're reading as part of their book group – but also for the rather retro custard slice.
Estelle has her own cafe, the perfectly named Cafe Crumb, in Bristol. The cakes are an absolute dream, baked by Estelle herself, but the customers just aren't coming in. So Estelle hits on the idea of a book group. Discuss a worthy novel and the readers buy cake and coffee. Perfect. Except, when the four members arrive for the first evening, the conversation is a little dry. The first book chosen is Tess of the D'Urbervilles, but for Reggie, Sue, Rebecca and Grace it doesn't get the conversation going at all. The next book is going to be Crime & Punishment and Estelle panics! Rummaging through her handbag she can't stop a copy of Ten Sweet Lessons (just like Fifty Shades of Grey) falling out…and thus begins the book group's exploration of erotic literature.
Every second Thursday the readers meet. Coffee and tea is drunk with meringues, brownies, flapjacks and, Rebecca's favourite, custard slices. Together, with cake in hand, they discuss fiction. Cake and books. Perfect.
Now I know my picture above shows an obviously homemade custard slice with icing in slight disarray. I was rushing before I ate it to capture the best light in which to photograph it. It can be a bit sticky to put together, but I promise you it's worth it. Just make sure your icing is nice and thick and the custard is properly cool.
Ingredients
To make the custard
1 heaped tbsp custard power
3 heaped tbsp cornflour
700ml whole milk
100ml double cream
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla powder
125g caster sugar
1 sheet gelatine soaking in cold water
For the pastry
500g ready made puff pastry
For the glaze
600g icing sugar
60ml water
Method
- Place the custard power and cornflour into a measuring jug and add 200ml of the milk. Whisk until there is no lumps.
- Add the rest of the milk plus the cream, beaten eggs, vanilla powder and caster sugar.
- You can either bring this to a gentle simmer on the hob, whisking all the while until thick or put into microwave for one minute at a time – whisking in between – until thick (when you feel it is on the turn just do for additional 30 seconds each time).
- Remove from hob or microwave, give a whisk, then check for sweetness (you can add a little more sugar if you like).
- Squeeze water out of gelatine and add to the hot, thick custard. Whisk.
- Double cling film it, one layer touching the custard, the other over the top of the jug, and allow to cool.
- Pre-heat oven to 180 fan.
- Whilst custard is cooling roll out pastry into a rectangle. Cut into strips about 3 fingers width and place on greased baking tray.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Once pastry and custard are cool, spoon (plenty of) the custard onto the pastry. Place another pastry on top. Smooth the sides with a knife or spoon.
- Make up the icing glaze and pour over the top.
- Place in fridge to set.
- Cut to size, then eat.