Sweet special pastry.

This pastry is very good for sweet tarts and cakes . As a blind baked pastry for some thing like a lemon tar or French fruit flan you could do no better.

300g/10½oz plain flour
125g/4oz cold unsalted butter
30g/1oz caster sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp milk or water(optional)

This is a rich pastry so if you are making it by hand make it as follows. Sift the flour in to a bowl, Cut the butter up in to fine cubes so it easy to work in to the flour. Add the sugar in the eggs then beat them together then add that to the flour and butter. Using a fork at first bring the mix together then add a little milk or water, if you need to. Then rest in the fridge for about 15 to 20 minutes. Or you can make it in a food processor , just do not over mix it.

Now take your pastry, roll it out on a well-floured board, and line the baking tin then put this back in the fridge for another 20 to 30 minutes. Then take it out, line with a baking sheet, fill with baking beans and blind bake for about 15 to 20 minutes in a preheated oven set at 200°c or 400°f.

While it is baking make you filling mix. Cream the butter and the sugar together, and then add the ground almonds. Now work the eggs in to the mix and the lemon juice and zest. What you should end up with is a smooth paste that is free of any lumps.

Now take your pastry case out of the oven and remove the baking beans and place back in the oven to let the pastry start to brown on the top, this will take another 10 to 15 minutes. If you do not do this, you could end up with soft pastry and you would not want that.