Lemon Curd Custard Tart

Combine 200g flour and ¼ tsp salt in a large bowl. Add 100g cold butter cut into small pieces and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs — work quickly so the butter stays cold.

Crack 1 egg into a small cup, beat lightly with a fork, then drizzle over the flour mixture. Add 2 tbsp cold water and bring together into a smooth dough. Flatten into a disc, wrap in cling film, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled pastry to about 3mm thickness and line a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Press it gently into the edges, trim the overhang, and prick the base several times with a fork.

Line the pastry with a sheet of greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans or dried pulses. Blind bake for 12 minutes, then remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5 minutes until the base looks pale and dry but not coloured. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

Zest all 3 lemons, then juice them — you should have about 120ml of juice. In a heavy-based saucepan, combine the zest, juice, 150g sugar, and 75g butter. Stir over medium-low heat until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved.

In a separate bowl, whisk 3 eggs together, then slowly pour the hot lemon mixture over them, whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 8-10 minutes until the curd thickens noticeably and coats the back of the spoon. Do not let it boil. Strain through a fine sieve and set aside.

Whisk 3 eggs, 50g sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and ⅛ tsp salt together in a bowl until pale and smooth. Heat 300ml whole milk in a saucepan until just beginning to steam and small bubbles appear around the edge — do not let it boil.

Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return to the saucepan and cook over very low heat, stirring continuously, for 5-6 minutes until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and reaches 82°C (179°F). Remove immediately from the heat and strain through a fine sieve into a jug.

Spread the warm lemon curd evenly across the base of the blind-baked tart shell, smoothing the top.

Carefully pour the vanilla custard over the lemon curd layer, filling to just below the pastry rim. The two layers will settle into distinct bands.

Bake at 160°C (320°F) for 15-18 minutes until the custard is set at the edges but still has a gentle wobble in the very centre — it will continue to firm up as it cools. Cool the tart completely in the tin on a wire rack before serving, ideally at room temperature for the best texture.