Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)390F/gas 6. Roll out two-thirds of the pastry, then use this to line a 25-30cm tart tin. Spread the filling evenly over the base, then roll out the remaining pastry and cut into strips for a lattice. Criss-cross these on top of the filling as neatly or as messily as you want. Make the pastry by rubbing the butter into the flour, almonds and salt until the mxture resembles breadcrumbs, then add the lemon zest, icing sugar and enough milk or water that the dough comes together into a ball. Wrap and chill for an hour. Shape the dough into a ball and wrap it in cling film. Refrigerate it for 15 minutes, to let it rest.

On the day: Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Lightly grease a 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin with butter. Blitz the ginger nuts into a fine crumb in a food processor, pulse in 40g of butter, then tip into the tin, patting it across the base and a little up the sides. Blitz the almonds until super-fine in the processor. Add the remaining butter, along with the sugar, eggs, vanilla paste and flour. Blitz until combined, then spoon evenly into the tin. Cut into six of the pears from the stalk down to the base at 1cm intervals, then fan out, nestling the pears into the frangipane, like in the picture. Spoon a little reserved syrup over each pear, then bake the tart for 50 minutes, or until golden and cooked through (covering the edges with tin foil if they start to get too dark). Make ahead: Milk tart can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept covered in the fridge. Leftover will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Love your leftovers: Save the remaining pears for breakfast, brunch, pud or a cheese plate another day.

apple, orange and cranberry cake

Place the reserved pastry for the lattice top on cling film and roll out thinly. Egg wash the pastry and set aside to chill in the fridge (the cling film makes it easier to move about). Do not cut into strips at this stage. Do not egg wash the strips once they are on the tart as it will drip into the treacle mixture.

Gradually pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until smooth and well blended. You can reheat egg custard tarts in the oven, at 160°C (140°C fan, gas mark 3), for 10 minutes, until they are warm. You can also microwave them, on low power, for 15-20 seconds, until they are warm. However, reheating them may affect their texture and crispiness, so it is best to enjoy them fresh. What is the difference between egg custard tarts and Portuguese custard tarts? Delicious, Sweet and Fruity No Bake Tart that will be Perfect at Dinner Time or just for a Treat… I Love This Easy Fruit Tart! Using a 7.5 cm (3 inch) round cutter, cut out 12 circles from the pastry dough. You may need to re-roll the scraps to get enough circles.Don’t over mix the frangipane filling otherwise when baked the texture will be dense as opposed to being light and fluffy. As soon as the frangipane filling comes together, stop mixing. Equipment Needed The great thing about this dessert is that you can make it in advance and keep it for later! If you want to freeze the tarts, you can for up to 3 months. One of my favourite books is “Food of England” by Dorothy Hartley, a veritable treasure trove of food, ingredients, customs, traditions, rural activities, crafts, foraging identification all accompanied with beautifully executed line drawings.The book is not just a recipe book, but an essential almanac covering the regional foods of Britain with charming observations about local traditions as well as intricate explanations of different cuts of meat, shapes and styles of English bread and even illustrations of regional sheep and cattle. In short, it’s a historical account of how life was over 60 years ago, recorded in journalistic detail and with a certain amount of humour, as such was Dorothy Hartley’s way. One of my favourite phrases from the book sums up exactly how I feel about English (and British) food, “English cooking is old-fashioned, because we like it that way” Dorothy says, and I wonder how many other people feel just the same way……it’s our historical basis for many a modern dish and the foundation of our culinary culture. Decorate the congress tarts by sprinkling flaked almonds on top or by using the remaining pastry to create crosses (slice two strips of pastry and layer one strip horizontal across the middle and the other vertical). In the 1920s, budding cooks could learn the art of housekeeping from Be-Ro Home Recipes: Scones, Cakes, Pastry, Puddings, a book published by Thomas Bell & Son, Ltd. (Bemrose & Sons Ltd.).