Basic shortcrust pastry:

The golden rule for making shortcrust pastry is to keep the ingredients, bowl and your hands as cool as possible. The easiest way to do this is in a food processor!

Place the flour and butter in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and chilled water and pulse again until the pastry just comes together.

Turn the pastry dough onto a lightly floured surface and bring together into a smooth ball. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Carefully roll out the pastry and press into a greased tart tin/dish. Trim the edges and prick the base all over with a fork to minimise shrinkage.

Line the pastry with a piece of baking paper and cover with baking beans or dried chickpeas. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the beans and baking paper and bake for a further 5 minutes. To ensure that the custard filling won’t run through any holes made by the fork, you can brush the pastry with a mixture of equal parts egg and water before baking it for the final 5 minutes.

Custard filling:

Reduce the oven temperature to 140°C.

Gently heat (scald) the cream, milk and Vanilla Paste to just before boiling point.

In a heatproof bowl, lightly whisk together the egg yolks and caster sugar until smooth and well combined. Carefully pour the hot cream mixture slowly into the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and continue to cook very gently, stirring constantly, until the custard coats the back of a wooden spoon and leaves a line if you run your finger across the spoon.

Strain the custard through a sieve to remove any lumps, then carefully pour into the pastry shell until almost full. Place into the oven, then using a small jug, pour any remaining custard mixture into the pastry shell to get it as full as possible without spilling. Bake for 30 minutes or until just set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. As it cools it will set further.

Tip: Sprinkle the cooled tart with NOMU Ground Cinnamon or sprinkle caster sugar over the top, and caramelise using a blowtorch for a creme brulee effect.