James Martin Vanilla Slice Recipes

EASY CHEAT'S VANILLA SLICE RECIPE

Steps:

• Pour the milk and cream into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the vanilla instant dessert mix and beat until thick and creamy (around 1-2 mins).
• Line a square baking dish with baking paper and place a 3x3 grid of SAO biscuits into the tray. Pour whipped dessert mix into the centre, gently pressing it out towards the edges and smoothing out the top as you go.
• Top with another 3x3 grid of SAO biscuits. Pop in the fridge for 1 hour to set.
• Sprinkle with icing sugar, then cut into slices by gently running a knife between the biscuits.

CUSTARD SLICE

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix the flour and salt together. Rub in a third of the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Then roughly rub in the remaining butter, leaving large lumps.
• Add the water a little at a time until the pastry just binds together (you may not need all the water).
• Tip the pastry out onto a floured work surface. Roll into a narrow rectangle about 2.5cm/1in thick.
• With the pastry vertically in front of you fold the bottom third of the pastry up onto the middle third then the top third down onto the other thirds. This is called a turn.
• Wrap the pastry in cling film and place in the refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes
• Take out of fridge and with a rolling pin roll out again into a narrow rectangle and repeat the turn as before.
• Chill again and repeat the rolling and turning once more, so a total of three times. Wrap the pastry in cling film and return to the fridge to rest.
• While the pastry is resting, make the crème pâtissière. Pour the milk into a pan and add the split vanilla pod and its seeds. Bring the milk mixture to the boil, then remove from the heat.
• Whisk the sugar, egg yolks and cornflour together in a large bowl.
• Pour out a little of the hot milk onto the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Whisk in the rest of the hot milk until well-combined, then return to the pan.
• Cook the mixture over a gentle heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture becomes thick. It will just come to the boil.
• Remove from the heat and pass the mixture through a sieve into a clean bowl. Add the butter and stir until melted and thoroughly combined.
• Leave to cool, cover with clingfilm and then chill before using.
• Pre-heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Line two baking trays with baking parchment.
• Divide the pastry into two equal pieces and roll out both pieces to 20cm/8in square and 5mm/¼in thick. Then place each pastry sheet onto the lined baking trays, and chill for 10-15 minutes.
• Bake the pastry sheets for 10-15 minutes or until golden-brown and crisp. Set aside to cool.
• While the pastry bakes, line a deep 23cm/9in square baking tray with foil with plenty of extra foil at the sides. The extra foil allows you to lift out the assembled slices.
• Place one pastry sheet in bottom of the lined baking tray. (Reserve the prettiest piece for the top.)
• Spread the crème pâtissière evenly onto the pastry in the baking tray before placing other piece of pastry, on top. Refrigerate while making the icing.
• For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Stir in cold water until thoroughly combined and set aside.
• Transfer the melted chocolate into a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle, and set aside to firm up slightly.
• Take the custard slice from the fridge and spread the icing over the top layer of pastry.
• Using the piping bag, draw ten parallel lines along the top of the icing in one direction. Using a tooth pick, pull parallel lines about 2.5cm/1in across the melted chocolate and icing in alternating directions to create a feathered effect.
• Place the slice back into the fridge to set.
• Cut the finished vanilla slice into eight pieces.
• Using the foil carefully lift the portioned vanilla slices out of the tray and place onto a serving platter.

VANILLA CUSTARD SLICES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll out 250g of the pastry on a sheet of baking parchment to about 25cm square. Scatter over half the almonds, then press them in very gently, dust with half the icing sugar and lay over a second sheet of baking parchment. Lift onto a baking sheet, and sit another baking sheet on top like a sandwich. Fill a few small tins with baking beans (or something similarly heavy and ovenproof, like uncooked rice). Bake for 30 mins, then have a quick peek - it will probably need another 5 mins to be well browned and crisp all over.
• Remove from the oven, take off the weights and top baking tray, then carefully lift off the top sheet of parchment and leave to cool. Repeat with the remaining pastry - you can do both sheets at once if you have enough baking sheets and tins, but they might not cook as evenly with two in the oven, so it is safer to do one at a time. Cool both completely.
• Put the gelatine in a bowl of cold water to soften, then put the remaining custard ingredients in a big saucepan. Set over a low heat to start, whisking continuously to mix well, then increase the heat a little until the custard is gently boiling. Keep whisking the whole time - the custard will thicken and lump unevenly, but keep cooking and whisking until it is smooth and very thick.
• Remove the custard from the heat and take out the vanilla pod. Squeeze out the water from the gelatine sheet, then stir it into the custard until it has dissolved.
• Line the base and sides of a 20cm square tin with baking parchment - criss-crossing two big strips will give you the neatest corners. Using a big, sharp knife and a ruler - or the base of your tin if it is removable - trim one pastry sheet to a shade under a 20cm square, so it will sit inside the tin, almond-side down. Spread over the custard as evenly as you can. Trim the second pastry sheet in the same way, but then divide the square into eight 10 x 5cm rectangles (so it will be easier when you cut the slices later). Sit them on top of the custard, almond-side up, putting them back together a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. Gently press down on the pastry so it doesn't break but sticks to the custard, then cover and chill for 4 hrs or so, but better still overnight.
• To serve, lift the slice from the tin and cut all the way through where the pastry top is already cut. Dust the slices with a little more icing sugar and serve. Best eaten within 24 hours, when the pastry is still good and crisp.