Hot-Smoked Salmon and Soured Cream Tart

Ingredients

• 320g block all-butter shortcrust pastry
• plain flour, for dusting
• 1 egg, beaten (for sealing the shell)
• 300ml soured cream
• 3 large eggs
• zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
• 1 small bunch dill (about 15g), finely chopped
• 1 small bunch chives (about 15g), finely snipped
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 250g hot-smoked salmon fillet, skin removed, flaked into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tbsp extra dill fronds, for scattering
• 1 tsp lemon zest, for finishing

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190°C fan. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm thick — any thicker and the base stays pale and doughy under the custard. Line a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin, pressing the pastry well into the corners and leaving a 1cm overhang (it will shrink as it bakes, and you can trim it neatly later). Prick the base all over with a fork and chill for 15 minutes — cold pastry holds its shape and won't slump down the sides.
2. Line the chilled shell with greaseproof paper and fill to the top with baking beans. Blind bake for 15 minutes, then lift out the paper and beans and bake for a further 8-10 minutes until the base looks dry and the rim is pale gold. Brush the inside of the hot shell with beaten egg and return to the oven for 1 minute — this seals any pinprick holes so the custard can't leak through and make the base soggy.
3. Drop the oven to 160°C fan. Whisk the soured cream and eggs together in a jug until smooth, then stir through the lemon zest, dill, chives, spring onions, nutmeg, salt and a good grind of pepper. The mix should taste assertively seasoned cold — baking dulls salt and herb flavour, so pull no punches at this stage.
4. Sit the tart tin on a baking tray (easier to move, and it catches any spills). Scatter the flaked hot-smoked salmon evenly across the base, then slowly pour the custard around and over it until it reaches just below the rim. The salmon will bob up slightly and that's what you want — those exposed flakes go burnished and glossy in the oven.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the custard is set around the edges but still has the slightest wobble in the very centre when you nudge the tray — that wobble is what gives you a silky, just-set custard rather than a rubbery one. It will firm up completely as it cools.
6. Cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes before trimming the pastry overhang with a sharp knife and lifting the tart free. Scatter with extra dill fronds and a fresh pinch of lemon zest. Slice with a long, thin knife wiped clean between cuts for tidy wedges.