Instructions: Be sure pastry ingredients are well chilled and custard ingredients are at room temperature. The pastry is partially baked before filling to eliminate an uncooked pastry layer that sometimes can result.

To prepare pastry: In bowl of food processor, pulse flour, salt and sugar to combine. Add butter and pulse until flour resembles coarse, uneven cornmeal, about 10 one-second pulses. Drizzle 5 tablespoons ice water over mixture. Pulse several times to work water into flour. Add remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue pulsing until mixture develops small curds.

Turn dough out onto work surface, shape it into a disc and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

On lightly floured surface, roll half the dough to 1/16 th inch thickness. Cut out 6 (4 1/2 inch) circles. (If you dont have a cookie cutter, a wide-mouth jar works well.) Ease dough circles into 12 (4-ounce) cup capacity) nonstick muffin tin cups, pressing out any overlapping folds. Repeat with remaining dough.

Place tin in freezer 5 minutes. Trim any overhang with back of knife so that pastry cups are flush with top of muffin cups. Line dough cups with muffin paper liners and fill with dried beans or pastry weights. Bake at 350 degrees 10 minutes to set. When cool, remove liners and beans.

To prepare Custard: In medium bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup cream. Add remaining cream and sugar. Stir until smooth and sugar is dissolved. Check for sugar granules with spoon. None should remain.

In small bowl, beat yolks with fork until smooth. Add yolks to cream mixture, stirring gently to combine. Ladle egg mixture into partially baked pastry cups, filling to 2/3 capacity.

Bake 350 degrees until edges of custard are puffed and middle is still jiggly, 20 to 25 minutes (custard will continue to cook after removed from oven). Cool completely in pan. (These are best when eaten same day as they are baked.)

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