Torta della Nonna (Italian Custard and Pine Nut Tart)

Pastry

• 250 g Plain flour
• 80 g Caster sugar
• 1 pinch Fine sea salt
• 125 g Unsalted butter, cold
• 2 Egg yolk

Custard filling and topping

• 600 ml Whole milk
• 1 medium Lemon
• 2 tsp Vanilla extract
• 4 Egg yolk
• 120 g Caster sugar
• 45 g Cornflour
• 60 g Pine nuts
• 15 g Icing sugar

1. Make the pastry: put the flour, caster sugar and salt in a bowl. Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until it looks like fine crumbs. Add the 2 egg yolks and mix just until a dough forms.
2. Press the dough into a disc, wrap and chill until firm. This makes it easier to roll and helps prevent shrinkage in the oven.
3. Meanwhile, start the custard: pour the milk into a saucepan. Use a vegetable peeler to remove strips of lemon zest (avoid the white pith) and add them to the milk with the vanilla. Warm over medium heat until steaming but not boiling, then take off the heat and leave to infuse.
4. In a bowl, whisk the 4 egg yolks with the caster sugar until smooth, then whisk in the cornflour. Strain the warm milk into the bowl, whisking as you pour. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until thick and glossy.
5. Scrape the custard into a bowl and press a piece of baking paper directly onto the surface to prevent a skin forming. Leave to cool to room temperature, then chill until cold.
6. Heat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Roll the chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface and line a tart tin, pressing it neatly into the corners. Trim the edge and chill the lined tin briefly so it holds its shape.
7. Spoon the cold custard into the pastry case and smooth the top. Bake until the pastry is golden and the custard is set with only a slight wobble in the centre. Cool completely in the tin so the custard slices cleanly.
8. Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat, shaking often, until pale golden and fragrant. Let them cool, then scatter over the tart. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

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