These little tarts delight the senses with their combination of flavors and textures – delicate fruit sitting atop a creamy filling, encased by a crunchy shell.

Ingredients: (Makes 16)

• 1 recipe hazelnut sweet crust
• 1 recipe basic pastry cream
• 4-6 400-g/14-oz tins apricot halves in syrup, drained
• 55 g/2 oz apricot jelly or strained apricot jam
• 1 tsp water

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas mark 7. Place a baking tray in the oven.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry dough. Using a 13-cm (5-inch) round cutter, cut out circles of pastry. Gently press the circles into 10-cm (4-inch) individual tartlet tins with removable bottoms. Trim the excess from the edges, collect the scraps, roll out and repeat. The dough should yield 16 tartlet shells.

Place the tartlet tins on the hot baking tray. Bake blind for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the paper and weights. Reduce the oven to 175°C/350°F/Gas mark 4 and continue baking for up to 5 minutes, until light brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Whisk the cooled pastry cream and fill the tart shells, smoothing the tops with a spatula. Place 2 to 3 apricot halves on top of each tart, round-side up. Warm the apricot jelly in a small saucepan over low heat. Add water and stir until smooth. Using a pastry brush, glaze the top of each tart.