Torta della Nonna with Vanilla-Bean Crema and Blind-Baked Crust

Method

1. Pastry: mix the flour, ground almonds, icing sugar and salt in a bowl and finely grate in half of the lemon zest. Add the cold butter in 1 cm cubes and quickly rub it in with your fingertips until it looks like fine sand. Add the yolks (save the whites in a cup), stir with a spatula, then gather by hand just until it holds together. Yolks alone make a more tender, shortbread-like crust. Flatten into a disc, wrap and chill for 1 h.

   Add in this stepPlain flour 125 gGround almonds 15 gIcing sugar for the pastry 50 gSalt 1 pinchUnwaxed lemon ¼Cold unsalted butter 70 gEgg yolks for the pastry (keep the whites) 1

2. Custard: split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife. Put the milk, cream, vanilla seeds and pod and 2–3 strips of lemon peel in a pan and warm over medium heat for 4 min, until it bubbles at the edge, then turn off the heat. Whisk the yolks (save the whites), sugar and cornflour until pale, pour in the hot milk a little at a time while whisking, then strain it back into the pan (this removes the pod and peel). Cook over medium-low heat for 3 min, whisking non-stop and scraping the bottom, until it bubbles up once or twice and turns thick and glossy. Off the heat, whisk in the butter until smooth.

   Add in this stepWhole milk 150 mlDouble cream (35% fat or more) 70 mlVanilla pod ½Unwaxed lemon ¼Eggs (yolks for the custard) 2Caster sugar for the custard 55 gCornflour 18 gButter to finish the custard 10 g

   medium heat→medium-low heat

3. Scrape the custard into a wide bowl, press cling film onto the surface and set the bowl in a larger bowl of iced water for 20 min to cool it fast, then keep it in the fridge until needed. Quick cooling keeps the flavour clean and stops bacteria from growing.

4. Roll two thirds of the pastry between sheets of baking paper to 3 mm, line a 16 cm tin with a removable base, press it well into the sides, prick the base with a fork and freeze for 15 minutes to firm up. Roll the rest to the size of the tin and chill it on its paper. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180 °C for 15 min.

   oven

5. Line the cold pastry case with crumpled baking paper, fill it to the top with baking beans or dry rice and bake in the oven for 14 min. Lift out the paper and beans and bake for 5 min more, until the base looks dry and pale golden. This blind-baking keeps the base crisp under the custard. Cool for 10 minutes and turn the oven down to 175 °C.

   oven

6. Whisk the cold custard until smooth, fill the pastry case and level it. Lay the pastry lid on top, press the edges to seal, trim the excess and cut a small steam hole in the centre. Lightly beat the saved whites, brush on a thin layer, scatter over the pine nuts and press them in gently. Bake in the oven at 175 °C for 28 min, until the top is deep golden and the pine nuts are toasted.

   Add in this stepPine nuts 25 g

   oven

7. Cool completely in the tin on a wire rack for 1 h 30 min, then unmould. Just before serving, sift icing sugar over the top, mostly around the edge. Chilled overnight, the custard sets firmer and slices more cleanly.

   Add in this stepIcing sugar to finish 2 tsp