Ingredients

• 250g plain flour
  50g icing sugar
  125g unsalted butter, softened
  5 medium eggs (use one for pastry, separate the other four into whites and yolks)
  3 tbsp milk (and a splash for pastry)
  150g ground almonds
  150g caster sugar
  Zest and juice of lemon
  Zest of ½ orange (optional)
  1 tsp LittlePod vanilla paste
  1 tsp clear honey (optional)
  1 tbsp Limoncello or Cointreau
  Handful of flaked almonds
  Cream, crème fraiche or ice-cream to serve

Method

1. Line and grease an eight-inch flan pan. Sift the flour and icing sugar into a bowl or mixer. Add the butter, one egg and a splash of milk. Mix until a ball is formed. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Sift the ground almonds and caster sugar into a bowl. Add the lemon and orange zest, vanilla paste and honey. Then add the lemon juice, milk, Limoncello or Cointreau and four egg yolks. Mix all the ingredients into a smooth paste.
3. Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out until it fits into the lined pan. Cover and blind bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
4. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then gently fold into the almond mixture. For a lighter or heavier bake, add more or less egg white respectively.
5. Once blind-baked, fill the pastry with the mixture. Dot with flaked almonds and cook for 25 minutes or until the top is gently browned. Check the mix is cooked by inserting a knife or skewer so that it comes out clean.
6. Decorate with sifted icing sugar and/or fresh fruit and serve with cream or ice-cream.

This recipe was featured in Janet’s cookbook, Vanilla, cooking with one of the world’s finest ingredients.