Sour cream short crust pastry:

• 250 g sifted flour
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 200 g cold butter
• 125 ml sour cream
• 1 egg white

Place the first five ingredients in the food processor and mix until it resembles coarse bread crumbs.  Add the sour cream and 1 tbsp of cold water and process until just combined.

Roll out the dough and place in a high sided loose bottom dish (about 24 cm).  Press the dough up the sides of the dish and then prick the base before putting it in the freezer for 20 mins.

Pre-heat the oven to 190C and blind bake the tart shell for 20 mins.  Remove the baking beans and cook for a further 10 mins at 160C.  Remove from the oven and brush the inside of the pastry with the egg white and then return the tart shell to the oven for another 5 mins to seal the base.  Cool.

For the filling:

• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/3 c sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 250 ml cream
• 10-12 apricots (halved)

Whisk all the ingredients together (except the apricots) making sure the cornflour is dissolved.  Place the tart on a baking tray and arrange the apricots on the top of the shell and sprinkle with 3 tbsp of sugar, then pour over the custard mixture.  Bake for about 50 minutes at 160 C or until set.

Pastry

150 g flour

90 g butter

2 tbsp cold water

Filling

• 50 g flour
• 40 g good quality cocoa powder
• 100 g muscovado sugar
• 120 g caster sugar
• 120 g butter
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• 150 g walnut pieces

Preheat the oven to 180 C.  To make the pastry put the flour and butter into a food processor and mix while adding in the cold water.  Process until the mixture forms a ball.  Press into a slice tin and then put this in the fridge for 20 mins while you make the filling.

To make filling, put the flour, cocoa and sugars in a bowl and mix.  Melt the butter and stir into the flour mixture with the lightly beaten eggs and vanilla.  Add in 100 g of the walnuts and then pour into the pastry shell.  Sprinkle the remaining walnuts onto the top of the slice and bake for about 30 mins.  Cool and cut into slices.