(Serves six)

220 g plain flour
Salt and pepper
110 g butter
1 egg, separated
250 g smoked salmon, diced
2 eggs
200 g cream
1 tbsp snipped chives
1 ripe avocado
Juice 1 lime
Vinaigrette dressing
Chives and mixed salad leaves to garnish

Sift the flour into a bowl, together with a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Rub in the butter, then add the egg yolk and enough iced water to make a fairly soft, but not sticky dough. Divide the dough into six equal pieces and, on a floured surface, roll out each piece thinly to line a 10-cm tartlet tin. Put the tins on a baking tray and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC, line the tarts with greaseproof paper and baking beans and bake them for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans, brush the tarts lightly with the egg white and return to the oven for five minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180ºC.

Divide the smoked salmon between the tartlets. Beat the eggs in a bowl, stir in the cream and chives, season with salt and pepper and mix well. Pour the mixture into the tarts and bake for about 20 minutes or until just set, then cool on a wire rack.

Halve, stone and peel the avocado, cut it into dice and sprinkle with lime juice. Top the tartlets with a spoonful of avocado, drizzle over a little vinaigrette dressing and garnish with chives and a small tuft of mixed salad leaves. Serve either warm or at room temperature.