You will be delighted to hear that there is a shortcut to making delicious Vanilla Slice. Rather than using pastry as described below, simply place unsalted crackers into the baking pan to use as a base. This is a great alternative to having a 400 degree oven burning if the weather is warm.

Ingredients:

1 packet frozen puff pastry sheets, set out to thaw

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup of cornstarch

1/2 cup custard powder

4 cups of milk

2 egg yolks

1 tbs vanilla essence

Method:

-Pre heat oven to 400 degrees

-Line a 10 in. square baking dish with foil. Gently place the room temperature puff pastry sheet into it. It is not necessary to bring them up the sides of the pan.

-Trim away any excess pastry. Be sure the pastry is only a single layer thickness or it will not cook properly.

-Place the pastry lined dish into the oven for 10 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked to a golden brown color.

-Remove and cool. Set aside.

How To Make Vanilla Custard:

-In a small saucepan and over a low heat, place the cornstarch, custard powder, sugar, and 1 cup of milk

-Stir vigorously and add one cup of milk at a time as the mixture blends together.

-When all of the milk is added, continue

stirring quickly until the custard begins to boil. Custard can lump in just a few seconds so it is extremely important not to leave it unattended even for one moment. If it turns lumpy it is almost impossible to get the mixture back to a smooth consistency. Adding more milk to attempt this will only mean the custard will not thicken and set later as it will be too diluted.

-When you see bubbles indicating the boiling stage, reduce the heat and continue to stir for a further 30 seconds.

-Remove the custard from the heat and quickly add the 2 egg yolks and 1 tbs of vanilla essence. Boiled custard holds its temperature for quite a long time after being removed from the stove, so do not be alarmed at the thought of undercooked eggs.

Assembly:

Having already cooled the pastry lined pan, and while the custard is still piping hot, pour the mixture into the pan and spread evenly into all corners.

-Place into the refrigerator until the custard is chilled and stiff. Pressing it gently with the back of a spoon is a good way to check that it is set properly.

Icing:

1 cup of icing sugar

1 tsp of butter

1 tsp of water

-Prepare some plain icing using the above ingredients and add to it the juice of 1 lemon and 1 sprinkle of cinnamon. If no lemons are available, add 1/4 tsp of citric acid.

-Ice the top of the set custard, cut into squares and serve.

Yum!