Makes: 12 squares

Prep: 30mins

Cooking time: 25mins

2 sheets puff pastry (or take the time to make your own)

Vanilla creme

1 tsp vanilla bean

1000ml full cream milk

1/2 tsp salt

120g cornflour

200g caster sugar

4 eggs, at room temperature

110g butter, diced

Icing

2 cups icing sugar

passionfruit pulp from one fresh passionfruit

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat oven to 180*. Line two baking trays.

Place pastry sheets onto prepared baking trays and prick all over with a fork. Cover each pastry sheet with a piece of baking paper and lay another tray on top to keep the pastry from rising.

Bake for 20-25minutes or until dark golden brown. Remove from the oven, take off the top trays and baking paper and set aside to cool on wire rack.

Prepare vanilla custard filling

In a heavy base saucepan over medium heat put the milk, salt and vanilla bean. Bring slowly to the boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat as soon as it reaches boiling point.

While waiting for the milk to boil, in a bowl whisk together the cornflour and sugar, then add the eggs and whisk until smooth. Pour half the eggs and sugar mix into the hot milk, whisking well. Add the remaining egg and sugar mix, whisk well. Place saucepan back over medium heat, whisking constantly until custard is very thick, aprox 10-15mins.

Remove from the heat, whisk butter into the custard until smooth and incorporated. Cover with baking paper or plastic wrap directly on the custard to prevent a skin forming on the surface.

Lightly grease and line the base and sides of a 20 x 20cm tin with baking paper. Cut both sheets of pastry to fit the prepared tin. Place one sheet of the pastry into the base of the tin.

Fill with hot vanilla custard, level with a spoon or knife. Place the second sheet of pastry on top, then allow to cool at room temperature before icing.

Prepare icing

In small bowl mix together the sugar, passionfruit pulp and butter until fully combined.

Invert the custard square onto a clean tray, remove baking paper and spread with passionfruit icing. Let the icing set before cutting into squares. Cut into 12 pieces. Squares best eaten on the day they are made.

Note: if making own pastry, it is best made the day before, and then baked on the day. It is DEFINITELY worth taking the time to make your own pastry!

NOTE: I have slightly modified this recipe and the method from the original . My pastry was baked without the topped trays to allow it to rise and then slightly flattened with a tea towel when still hot.