Lemonbutter milk tart

SERVES 10-12 // PREP TIME 20 MINS // COOK 50 MINS (PLUS RESTING, COOLING)

A fresh spin on a custard tart that’s rich but kept in line by the sourness of lemons and buttermilk. Pâte sablée can be difficult to work with if it warms up; if it is a warm day, consider rolling the pastry out between two sheets of baking paper, then chilling it briefly again before lining the tin.

400 ml well-shaken buttermilk

6 large egg yolks

110 gm (½ cup) caster sugar 90 gm butter, melted and cooled

Finely grated rind of 1½ lemons, plus 2 tbsp lemon juice

1½ tbsp plain flour

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

40 gm (½ cup) roasted flaked almonds, to serve

Pure icing sugar, for dusting PÂTE SABLÉE

250 gm (1⅔ cups) plain flour

60 gm pure icing sugar, sifted 200 gm chilled butter, diced 2 egg yolks, plus 1 beaten

eggwhite for brushing

1 For pâte sablée, place flour on a work surface, add sugar and butter and rub in butter with your fingertips until coarse crumbs form. Add yolks, 2 tbsp iced water and a pinch of salt and lightly knead with the heel of your hand until the pastry just comes together. Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate to rest (2 hours). Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to 5mm-thick round and line a 28cm-diameter loose-bottomed fluted tart tin, then refrigerate to rest (1 hour). 2 Preheat oven to 180°C. Blind-bake tart until golden on the edges (15-20 minutes; see cook’s notes p168), remove paper and weights and bake until golden and crisp (5-7 minutes), then brush base with eggwhite, bake for 1 minute to seal, then reserve until required.

3 Meanwhile, blend buttermilk, yolks, sugar, butter, lemon rind and juice, flour, vanilla and

¾ tsp salt in a food processor until combined. Transfer to a jug and allow foam to settle (20-30 minutes), then skim foam from top and discard.

4 Reduce oven to 175°C.

Place tart base on an oven tray, transfer to oven, then carefully pour buttermilk mixture into tart case and bake until just set with a slight wobble in the centre (20-25 minutes). Set aside to cool to room temperature (1½-2 hours), then top with flaked almonds and dust with icing sugar to serve.