Strawberry and cream millefeuille

Ingredients

284ml/9½fl oz carton double cream
150g/5oz carton ready-made custard
375g/13oz pack ready-rolled puff pastry
flour for dusting
6tbsp strawberry conserve
200g/8oz strawberries, hulled and sliced
140g/5oz icing sugar
few drops red food colouring

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Make a greaseproof paper piping bag. Pour the cream into a bowl and whisk using an electric hand whisk until really stiff, taking care it does not curdle. Fold in the custard, cover and chill until needed.
2. Open out the pastry then roll out a little thinner on a lightly floured surface to 35x30cm/14x12in rectangle.
3. Brush a baking sheet with water then lay the pastry on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is risen and golden.
4. Lift it from the baking sheet with two wide spatulas and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
5. Trim the edges of the pastry using a sharp serrated knife to expose the pastry layers. Cut the pastry widthways into three pieces, each about 10x29cm/4x11½in.
6. Spread one of the pastry rectangles with half the conserve and lay half the strawberries over the top in a single layer. Spoon over half the cream mixture and spread out evenly.
7. Top with one of the remaining pastry rectangles, then repeat with another layer using the rest of the conserve, strawberries and cream. Smooth the side of the cream with a palette knife to give a straight edge, if you prefer.
8. Turn over the remaining piece of pastry so the flat underside is facing up and lay it on top of the cream.
9. Mix the icing sugar with enough water to make a thick, spreadable icing (you need a couple of teaspoons of water; if you add too much, simply stir in a little more icing sugar to thicken).
10. Transfer 1 tbsp of the icing to another bowl and mix with a drop or two of the red food colouring to make a pale pink icing. Spoon the pink icing into the greaseproof paper piping bag. Spread the white icing over the top to cover completely.
11. Quickly pipe lines of the pink icing across the width of the white icing at 2.5cm/1in intervals (you need to work quickly before the icing has a chance to set). Start at one end, drag the top of a skewer down the length of the icing to feather it. Repeat this action about 2.5cm/1in along in the opposite direction. Chill for 30 minutes and carefully slice into eight pieces before serving.