The slice is right 

This Sunday afternoon tea-time treat is finally in the spotlight, thanks to Editor Chad January. “As a child, I couldn’t wait to get home from church to devour a custard slice”! Here, he keeps that crunchy golden pastry and silky custard cream but adds a flourish of fresh berries and chopped nuts.  

Custard slice with raspberries and chopped nuts
Serves 8 • Total Time 45 Min (Plus 30 Min Chill Time) 

Ingredients
FOR THE CUSTARD CREAM
1L milk
¾ cup white or castor sugar
12 egg yolks
2/3 cup cornflour
2 tsp vanilla essence
6 tbsp butter, softened 

FOR THE PASTRY 
2 rolls puff pastry, defrosted
¼ cup butter, melted  

TO ASSEMBLE 
Fresh raspberries for serving 
Nuts such as almonds, pistachios or pecans, chopped for serving 
Icing sugar for dusting  

Method

FOR THE CUSTARD CREAM  

1. Gently heat the milk and half of the sugar in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves. 
2. In a bowl, whisk the yolks, remaining sugar and cornflour until smooth. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine a ¼ cup of the warm milk mixture with the egg yolk mixture. Stir until smooth. 
4. Slowly pour the mixture into the remaining milk. The mixture should be poured slowly in a thin stream. Whisk the contents of the bowl as you pour. 
5. Decant this mixture into a pot set over a medium heat. 
6. Allow it to cook gently and continuously stir with a wooden spoon for 4–6 minutes until thickened. 
7. Remove it from the heat. Stir in the vanilla essence and butter until dissolved. Set aside to cool. 

 FOR THE PASTRY

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 
2. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. 
3. Cut each sheet into 8 rectangles of about 12 x 8cm each. 
4. Place the pastry onto 2 lined baking trays. Brush the pastry with melted butter before baking for 12–15 minutes. Allow to cool completely. 

 TO ASSEMBLE  

1. Place the cooled custard cream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. 
2. Pipe the custard cream onto one puff pastry rectangle and sandwich with another rectangle. Add another layer of pastry if you’re feeling indulgent. 
3. Repeat this process with the rest of the custard cream and puff pastry. 
4. Chill the custard slices in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. 
5. Serve the slices topped with the raspberries and chopped nuts. Finish it off with a dusting of icing sugar. 

Top tip: Leftover egg yolks can be frozen for 6 months. Be sure to thaw them to room temperature before using. 

If you don’t have a piping bag, fill a reasonably durable plastic food bag with the pastry cream. Tightly seal the bag and snip the corner of the bag to use as a nozzle. 

Photography: Fresh Living Magazine