elderflower jelly

Bring the sugar and water to the boil.
Add the elderflower florets, cover and leave to steep for 20 minutes.
Pass through a damp muslin cloth.
Season with citric acid, adding just enough to balance the sweetness.
Allow to cool.
(to set with gelatine)
For every 200ml of liquid, use 1 leaf of gelatine.
Soak the gelatine in a little of the elderflower syrup.
Warm gently until dissolved, but do not boil.
Pour into moulds and allow to set.
For service, decant from the mould onto a garnish tray.
(to set with agar)
Whisk 1% agar into the cold syrup.
Bring to the boil, whisking continuously.
Boil for 30 seconds.
Cool over an ice bath until set.
Blend until smooth, then pass through a fine mesh sieve.
For service, pour 250ml into a piping bag or bottle with a fine spout.

sweet shortcrust pastry

In a bowl, combine the flour, butter, sugar and salt.
Rub together until the mixture forms a crumb.
Gradually add the eggs, mixing only until the dough comes together.
Do not overwork the dough.
Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 24 hours.

rolling and baking the tartlets

Roll the pastry to 2mm thickness.
Carefully place into the moulds.
Do not push the pastry into the corners. Instead, lift the pastry and use the excess overlapping dough to fill the corners and sides so the thickness stays even.
Line with greaseproof paper.
If using fresh greaseproof paper, scrunch it into a ball and open it out a few times to help it fit into the tart cases more easily.
Fill with ceramic baking beans.
Rest the lined pastry cases in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Bake at 165°C until cooked through.
Remove the greaseproof paper and beans, then egg wash the tartlets.
Return to the oven for 1 minute to seal the pastry.
Leave to stand for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

crème pâtissière

Bring the milk, cream and vanilla paste to the boil.
In a bowl, mix together the cornflour and sugar.
Add the egg yolks and mix until smooth.
Pour the hot milk and cream mixture over the yolk mixture and whisk together.
Return to the heat and cook out, boiling for 1 minute while whisking constantly.
While cooling over ice, add the extra 50ml milk and continue whisking constantly.
Transfer to a container and cover.
Before transferring to a piping bag, beat until smooth in a bowl.

elderflower and strawberry syrup

Mix the elderflower florets, diced strawberries and sugar together in a bowl.
Cover and place over a bain-marie.
Allow to warm and macerate for 30 minutes.
Hang the mixture in muslin cloth overnight in the fridge.
Allow the syrup to drain naturally without agitating the fruit so the syrup stays clear.
Season the syrup with lemon juice.

strawberry and elderflower purée

Take the strained pulp from the syrup mixture.
Blitz until smooth.
Pass through a fine mesh sieve.

tartlet assembly

Place the tartlet cases on a garnish tray.
Pipe a little strawberry and elderflower purée into the base of each tartlet.
Pipe the crème pâtissière over the purée until the tartlet is three-quarters full.
Make sure the crème pâtissière fully covers the purée and does not spill over the edges.
Pipe small pea-sized dots of elderflower jelly evenly around the edge of the tartlet.
Pipe dots of strawberry and elderflower purée of the same size in between the jelly dots.
In a small bowl, toss the fresh strawberries and julienned mint with a drizzle of the syrup.
Leave for a few minutes so the flavours develop.
Carefully place the dressed strawberries on top of the filled tartlet, making sure the mint is included and not left behind in the bowl.
Dot a little crème pâtissière in the centre of each serving plate to hold the tartlet in place.
Place the tartlet on top and serve.