By popular demand a recipe from Aileen

We've been picking walnuts for the past 2 weeks, some from our own trees. So as it's the season for fresh walnuts why not try this delicious walnut tart.

Shortcrust pastry:
225g plain flour
130g butter and shortening eg Trex (half and half)
Pinch of salt
1 egg
cold water

Tart filling:
225 g walnut kernels (preferably freshly shelled)
50 g plain flour
225g butter
225 g caster sugar
3 medium eggs
tspn vanilla extract
slug of Armagnac
Large spoonful of raspberry or plum jam

Blitz together the flour, salt and fats in a food processor (or rub in by hand) until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add beaten egg and a couple of tblspns of cold water and blitz briefly until mixture just comes together. Tip onto floured board and press gently together into a ball. Roll out to fit a buttered 20/22 cm tart tin and leave in fridge while you make filling.
Cream together the softened butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy (I use an electric whisk), then gradually add the beaten eggs, whisking all the time. Add the vanilla extract and Armagnac and whisk briefly again. Now grind the walnuts in the processor to a large crumb then add the flour an grind again briefly to a finer crumb - but still retain some texture. Fold the walnuts carefully into the sponge mixture.
Spread the jam over the base of the pastry case and top with the walnut sponge mix.
Bake the tart for approx 50 minutes at 180 deg C.

Serve warm with some cream - creme fraiche is nice, but if I was eating this in the UK I would have it with clotted cream! An espresso and an Armagnac go down nicely with it too... Enjoy!