Nuts about the tart

IN MY KITCHEN: Food writer Elaine Lemm

into a food processor. Pulse a few times until the mixture resembles grains of sand. Gently whisk the cream, egg, the egg yolk and vanilla seeds together. With the food processor running, slowly pour in the egg and cream mixture. Stop when the mixture comes together. Tip the dough on to a lightly floured worktop and gently bring the pastry together into a ball.

Roll the pastry to ½ cm thick, then quickly lay into the tart tin. Press the pastry gently into the tin, and then cut away the excess. Put the uncooked tart into the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes, longer if possible. Roll the excess into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and freeze to use later.

For the filling, put the sugar, honey and salt into a saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil and stir until all the sugar has dissolved, and then lower the heat. Chop the butter into small pieces, and whisk a few pieces at a time into the sugar and honey mixture. Repeat until all the butter is used up. Place the mixture to one side and once cooled, add the cream, the egg and egg yolk and whisk thoroughly.

Preheat the oven to 160C/325 F. Place the pastry tart onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle the finely chopped rosemary on to the bottom, cover with the pine nuts, then slowly pour the cream mixture into the case.

Place into the centre of the preheated oven and before closing the door, lightly tease the pine nuts evenly across the tart using a fork. Bake for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 150C and cook for a further 30-40 minutes or until the tart is golden brown, and the cream lightly set. Remove and place the tart still in its tin on to a cooling rack. Leave to cool.

Once cold, serve slices of tart with a dollop of mascarpone or crème fraiche if desired. The tart will keep for a couple of days in an airtight tin.