Ingredients

• 225g/8oz plain flour
• 50g/1¾oz caster sugar
• 125g/4½oz butter
• slightly softened
• 1 vanilla pod
• seeds scraped out
• 1 free-range egg
• 750ml/1¼ pint whipping cream
• 12 egg yolks
• 115g/4oz caster sugar
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• 200ml/7fl oz double cream
• 1 tbsp clear honey
• 100g/3½oz walnuts
• shells removed
• chopped
• 100g/3½oz caster sugar
• 100g/3½oz walnut halves
• rapeseed oil
• caramel
• lemon balm leaves

Directions

• For the pastry
• put the flour
• sugar
• butter and vanilla seeds in a bowl and rub together using your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. (Alternatively
• pulse in a food processor).
• Lightly beat the whole egg and pour it into the flour mixture. Stir the mixture together until it forms clumps
• then bring together with your hands to form a dough. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
• Roll out the pastry and line a 30cm/12in loose-bottomed flan tin
• leaving any excess pastry hanging over the edge - do not trim until after the pastry has been cooked. Line with baking paper and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove the baking paper and baking beans. Reduce the oven temperature to 150C/130C Fan/Gas 2.
• For the custard filling
• heat the cream in a saucepan without letting it boil.
• In a bowl
• beat the egg yolks and caster sugar for 3-4 minutes until pale and thick. Gradually whisk the hot cream into the mixture
• being careful not to let the egg yolks curdle. Pour the mixture into the cooked pastry case. Sprinkle with the allspice.
• Bake for 50 minutes or until the custard is set. Remove from the oven
• trim the pastry edges carefully and leave to cool.
• For the ice cream
• whip the cream until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed. Place the cream in a large bowl and fold in the honey and walnuts. Pour the mixture into a container and place into the freezer to set for about 15 minutes.
• For the walnuts
• make a syrup by heating the sugar with 100ml/3½fl oz water until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and add the walnut halves. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
• Drain the walnuts and discard the syrup. In a deep frying pan or sauté pan
• heat a little rapeseed oil until hot. Shallow fry the walnuts until crisp (approximately 30 seconds)
• then drain on kitchen paper.
• Paint a stripe of caramel on the serving plates and top with a slice of the custard tart. Add a spoonful of walnut ice cream. Garnish with candied sugared walnuts and lemon balm.