Gaziantep Pistachio Shortcrust Tart

Prick the pastry base all over with a fork at 1cm intervals. Trim any excess dough hanging over the rim. Place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to chill and firm the butter.

Line the chilled pastry shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake on the middle rack at 180°C for 15 minutes until the edges begin to turn pale gold.

Remove the weights and parchment. Return to the oven at 175°C for 8-10 minutes until the base is fully dried and a uniform pale cream color. Remove and cool slightly while preparing the filling.

While the shell bakes, blitz 150g of pistachios in a food processor until they reach a fine, sandy consistency resembling coarse breadcrumbs. Do not over-process into butter.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, melt 80g of butter until it foams and subsides, about 2 minutes. Add the ground pistachios and 30g of flour, stirring constantly for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.

Gradually whisk in 150ml of heavy cream, then add 100g of white sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens, about 3-4 minutes. The custard should coat the back of a spoon.

Remove from heat. In a small bowl, beat 2 eggs lightly. Temper the eggs by slowly adding a spoonful of the hot pistachio mixture while whisking, then pour the tempered eggs back into the saucepan, whisking vigorously.

Reduce oven temperature to 170°C. Pour the warm pistachio custard into the pre-baked tart shell, filling to about 5mm from the top. The filling should be smooth and pourable.

Bake at 170°C for 22-25 minutes. The filling is done when the edges are set and slightly puffed, the center still has a gentle wobble, and the surface develops a light golden tint.

Remove from the oven. The filling will continue to set as it cools. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before handling.

Once the tart has cooled to room temperature, carefully remove from the pan. Finely chop the remaining 40g of pistachios and sprinkle evenly over the surface.

Sift 20g of powdered sugar over the top in an even, light dusting. Slice with a sharp knife wiped clean between cuts. Serve at room temperature. The tart keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving for optimal texture.