Vanilla custard slices

This recipe was given to me by my childhood best friend, Tammy whose mom used to send her to our farm with a tin filled with these creamy slices almost every Friday after school. We'd sit in the treehouse we built ourselves and devour them, getting custard all over our hands and then relishing the process of licking the creamy filling off our fingers. I must add that the recipe wasn't just handed to me, it was handwritten and carefully placed in a folder along with all my best friends' favourite recipes (also scribbled down on paper) for my 18th birthday. The title of the little cookbook? 

'Katelyn's Favouriteistest Favourite Flop-proof Recipe Cookbook - Made with love by all her friends' 

How awesome is that? Pretty awesome. 

Almost as awesome as these custard slices.

Photography by Gunther Schubert of Vorsprung Studio 

Custard slices

Makes 16-20

2 x 200g packets unsalted cream crackers

½ cup cake flour

100ml maizena or cornflour

20ml custard powder

pinch of salt

100ml water

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs, separated

1L milk

1 cup white sugar

60g butter or margarine

Lemon glaze

1 cup icing sugar, sifted

juice of 1 lemon

Line a 20 x 30cm cake tin with baking paper and arrange the crackers in the bottom.

Make a paste with the flour, cornflour, custard powder, salt, water, vanilla and egg yolks. Heat the milk, sugar and butter and add to the paste while whisking. Return to the pot and cook until the custard is thick, stirring continuously.

Whip the egg whites until stiff then fold into the lukewarm custard. Pour the custard over the crackers and place another layer of crackers on top. Allow to set in the fridge until completely cool.

Mix the icing sugar and lemon juice together with a little hot water to form a paste and drizzle over the tops of the custard slices. Cut into slices and serve.