MAKES 10-12

INGREDIENTS

For the sweet pastry: 
250g all-purpose flour  
50g icing sugar
 
120g cold unsalted butter, cubed  
1 egg, whisked 
Pinch of salt

 
For the crème pâtissière:
1.5 cups whole milk
3 egg yolks  
30g sugar
30g cornstarch
2 tsp vanilla paste  
 
For the topping:
Your choice of fresh fruit

METHOD
1.    Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan and lightly grease and flour loose-bottomed tartlet tins. 
2.    To make the pastry, place the flour, icing sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine.
3.    Add the cold butter and mix until the texture resembles breadcrumbs. 
4.    Add the egg and mix until the dough starts to come together. 
5.    Use your hands to bring the dough together into a ball, then roll it out between two sheets of baking paper to about 3mm thickness. 
6.    Use a cookie cutter to cut rounds of pastry, making sure they’ll fill your tartlet tins, then place on a baking-paper lined tray and rest in the fridge for an hour. 
7.    Once chilled, line the tartlet tins with the pastry rounds and prick the bottom with a fork.
8.    Bake for 15-18 minutes and allow to cool for 15 minutes, then carefully lift them out onto a cooling rack. 
9.    To make the crème pâtissière, bring the milk and vanilla paste to a simmer in a saucepan on a low heat and set aside. 
10.    In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until foamy. Add the cornstarch and mix well. 
11.    Pour the warm milk over the sugar, egg yolk and cornstarch mixture, return to the saucepan and whisk over a low heat until thickened. Turn off the heat and allow to cool. 
12.    Once cold, transfer to a piping bag to fill the tartlet cases. 
13.   Top with fresh fruit of your choice. 
 

MAKES 12

INGREDIENTS
12 Medjool dates
4 tbsp peanut butter
200g dark chocolate 

METHOD
1.    Line a tray with baking parchment. 
2.    Cut a slit in each date and remove the pit.
3.    Pipe a generous amount of peanut butter into each date and seal the opening. 
4.    Arrange the dates on the tray and freeze for 15 minutes. 
5.    While the dates are in the freezer, melt some dark chocolate.
6.    Dip the dates into the chocolate until coated and freeze for a further 20 minutes until the chocolate has set.
7.    For added decoration, drizzle with extra melted dark chocolate and return to the freezer until set. 
8.    Bring to room temperature before serving. 
 

MAKES 12

INGREDIENTS
180g all-purpose flour
90g icing sugar
30g cacao powder
150g unsalted butter, cubed
1 large egg yolk, whisked
200g coconut cream or regular whipping cream
150g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
  
METHOD
1.    Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan and line a tray with baking paper. 
2.    Sift the flour, icing sugar and cacao powder into a mixing bowl. Rub the butter into the mixture to form coarse breadcrumbs.
3.    Add the egg yolks and mix until a dough has formed. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for an hour. 
4.    Knead the dough until it is soft enough to roll. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough until it’s 1cm in thickness and use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to stamp out the shapes. Reroll the dough and cut out as many shapes as you can. 
5.    Bake for 10-12 minutes on the lined baking tray, then transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool completely. 
6.    Bring the cream to a simmer on a medium heat, then remove from the heat and add the dark chocolate, stirring until it has completely melted. 
7.    Allow to cool and refrigerate for an hour – or overnight, if possible. 
8.    Whip the cream to a ganache consistency and pipe some on to half of the biscuits. Top with the other half of the biscuits to form sandwiches.