Granny’s tart

Instructions

Almond and citrus short crust pastry
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix butter with almond meal, sifted icing sugar and citrus zest.
Add lightly beaten whole egg and mix to combine.
Add the sifted flour with salt and mix just to combine.
Flatten the dough into a round disc, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 8 hours.
The day after, roll the dough out 2.5 mm thick.
Line a six inches (16 cm) greased perforated tarts ring with pastry.
Gently ease the dough into the sides of the ring, use your fingertips to press the pastry into the edges and up the wall of the tin.
Using the knife, remove the overhanging pastry.
Refrigerate for 2 hours, then freeze.

Vanilla pastry cream
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar, vanilla beans, starch and salt until mixture is pale yellow, smooth, and fluffy.
In a steel saucier, combine milk with cream and scraped vanilla bean.
Bring to a bare simmer over medium heat.
Out of the heat, remove vanilla bean and while whisking continuously, slowly pour milk/cream into egg yolks mixture in a thin stream, until all of it has been added.
Return the mixture to the heat.
Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until pastry cream thickens.
Off-heat, pour the cream in a bowl or in a baking tray and immediately place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming.
Refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.

To bake the tart
Heat fan oven at 320F - 160°C.
When ready to use the pastry cream, whisk until smooth.
Pour the pastry cream in a pastry bag and pipe about 220 g inside the frozen tart shell.
Smooth if necessary the surface with a small spatula, cover the surface with plentiful pine nuts and bake for about 20/23 minutes.
Out of the oven, let the tart cool for about 10 minutes, then remove the pastry ring.
Let completely cool, then refrigerate.

To serve
Dust with snow sugar and serve.
Enjoy.