Strawberries + Tia Maria

Tia Maria...sounds sweet and delicate; almost like a name for a beautiful petite girl.
Well..to be completely honest, if the shape of the girl looks anything like the "Tia Maria" bottle; she wouldn't be too petite would she? - I apologize for the rude joke*laughs* . From this angle, its shape reminds me more of a man's built chest. I often get influenced to purchase liquor from their attractive packaging....*sigh* marketing is the devil! - A bargain of 2 bottles for $50 at Woolworths this week can sometimes be just as convincing.

TIA MARIA: A dark, medium-bodied coffee liqueur made from a fine blend of cane spirit, jamaican coffee, vanilla and sugar.

I displayed my 18 plus ID to the liquor department cashier, handed him a $50 note and left with a bottle of creme caramel baileys in one arm and tia maria in the other.
In the past; i've seen many recipes with tia maria as an added ingredient, often in sweet desserts such as cakes and puddings. I couldn't wait to try it in one of my own concoctions! I poured myself a tiny shot of the liquor into a shooter glass to have an idea of what it tasted like and how it should be combined other ingredients. I was not very impressed at my first sip, but as I had a little more...the flavours began to sink in. It seemed a little stronger than other coffee liquors I'm used too (Kahlua) as it didn't have that milky-creamy effect.
I decided to go with flaky-buttery pastry and custard cream topped with strawberries to add some tangy-ness to the tart.

2 sheets ready rolled puff pastry (cut into rings with and egg ring/round cookie cutter)
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup castor sugar
1/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup almond meal
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Strawberries
1/4 cup tia maria

For the custard,Whisk egg yolks+sugar until pale and creamy. Add flour + almond meal. Stir well. Heat milk and vanilla in the microwave (until it just begins to boil) should take 2-3 minutes. Stir occasionally. Pour milk in a thin stream into egg mixture while beating constantly. Return to microwave and zap for another 90 seconds on high. Remove and whisk. Pour custard into a bowl and cover surface with cling wrap and pop it into the fridge till needed.
Place pastry rings into a greased muffin tray; pushing them right to the base. Spoon custard mixture into the pastry cups (3/4 full) and bake in preheated 180 degree oven for 20 minutes or until pastry is puffed and custard tops are golden. Remove from the oven and gently lift cups from the muffin tray. Spoon teaspoons of Tia maria into individual custard cups and top with chopped strawberries. Serve immediately.I added a couple drizzles of melted chocolate at the end but they disappeared into our tummies before I could snap a picture! If you like chocolate with strawberries; feel free to do the same.