Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC Fan/Gas Mark 4. Place two large, sturdy flat baking sheets in the oven to heat up.

Unroll the puff pastry and cut it into six squares, approximately 11.5cm x 11.5cm, arranged in a 3 x 2 grid. A typical 320g sheet measures approximately 35cm x 23cm.

Mix the cornflour with 2 tbsp of the custard to make a smooth paste. Stir in the remaining custard until completely smooth. The cornflour thickens the custard as it heats up, creating a quick crème pâtissière that is less likely to spread during baking.

Drain the apricots and pat them dry all over with kitchen towel. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the syrup for later.

Fold one of the empty pastry corners diagonally over to the opposite side and brush the top with egg wash. Fold the remaining empty corner over the egg-washed pastry and gently press to seal. Don’t flatten the pastry, keep the centre slightly raised and curved. Repeat with the remaining squares. You should have six pastries, with an apricot half peeking out at each end.

Brush any exposed pastry around the edges and apricots with more egg wash. Sprinkle pearl or granulated sugar over the centre of each pastry.

Carefully slide the parchment, with the pastries on it, onto the preheated baking sheets. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until puffed and golden. The hot baking sheets help ensure the pastry bases cook through.

Remove from the oven and, while still hot, brush the pastry and apricots generously with Apricot with Armagnac Conserve mixed with a teaspoon of the syrup drained from the apricots earlier to create a sticky glaze.

Serve warm with extra custard or allow to cool and serve cold. Best eaten on the day but you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days, although the pastry will soften.