May is the month of promise and the sweet beginnings of summer.”

A simple and low calorie spring meal that uses the season’s finest ingredients and is ready in just 20 minutes followed by a quick and easy dessert with pastry case and jam base, delicious served with custard!



Root Vegetable and Butterbean Crumble


Ingredients

75g caster sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
4 tbsp custard powder
2 tsp vanilla essence
600ml skimmed milk
2 tsp sunflower oil
4 sheets filo pastry, (each measuring about 12 inches x 15 inches)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C / Fan180°C.
2. Put the sugar, egg yolks, egg, custard powder and vanilla essence into a pan and whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in the milk. Heat the mixture until it starts to boil, then simmer for 2 minutes, whisking until it thickens. Set aside.

3. Brush a little oil into the cups of a deep 12-hole muffin tin. Unroll the filo sheets and brush the remaining oil over top sheet. Cutting through all the sheets at the same time, divide the sheets into 12 equal squares (12 squares with four sheets in each stack!).
4. Firmly press each stack into a hole of the muffin tin (oiled side of filo upwards) ensuring that there is pastry sticking over the edge of the hole.
5. Divide the custard among filo cases. Bake for 35- 40 minutes until brown blisters begin to form on the custard.
6. Let cool in tin and then lift out using small knife to cool until firm.



Portuguese Custard Tarts
Ingredients


Ingredients, For the soup

75g caster sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
4 tbsp custard powder
2 tsp vanilla essence
600ml skimmed milk
2 tsp sunflower oil
4 sheets filo pastry, (each measuring about 12 inches x 15 inches)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C / Fan180°C.
2. Put the sugar, egg yolks, egg, custard powder and vanilla essence into a pan and whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in the milk. Heat the mixture until it starts to boil, then simmer for 2 minutes, whisking until it thickens. Set aside.

3. Brush a little oil into the cups of a deep 12-hole muffin tin. Unroll the filo sheets and brush the remaining oil over top sheet. Cutting through all the sheets at the same time, divide the sheets into 12 equal squares (12 squares with four sheets in each stack!).
4. Firmly press each stack into a hole of the muffin tin (oiled side of filo upwards) ensuring that there is pastry sticking over the edge of the hole.
5. Divide the custard among filo cases. Bake for 35- 40 minutes until brown blisters begin to form on the custard.
6. Let cool in tin and then lift out using small knife to cool until firm.