Milk and Almond Tart

To prepare the milk and almond tart, start with the pastry: pour the almond flour into a large bowl, add the sugar 1 and all-purpose flour 2. Cut the cold butter into cubes, then add it along with the powders 3

and start kneading everything with your hands until you get a crumbly mixture 4. Then also add the eggs 5 and work everything very quickly 6

just long enough to compact it 7. Transfer the dough to a work surface and shape it into a round shape 8, slightly flatten the dough and wrap it in plastic wrap 9; place it in the refrigerator to rest for at least 30 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the cream. Pour the whole milk into a saucepan 10, add the sugar 11 and heat it gently stirring 12, until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Also incorporate the rice flour 13 and immediately mix with a whisk to avoid the formation of lumps 14. Then add an entire vanilla pod 15

and continue to stir until the cream has thickened 16. Then transfer it into a small bowl and remove the vanilla pod 17. If you prefer, you can rinse it and keep it; it can be reused, otherwise you can cut it open and add the seeds inside the cream. Then cover with plastic wrap in contact 18 and let it cool in the refrigerator.

At this point, the pastry will have rested, remove the plastic wrap and cut the dough into two parts, so that you have 1/3 that you will put back in the wrap to use later and the 2/3 that you will roll out immediately 19 on a lightly floured surface 20, until you get a thickness of 1/4 inch. Then sprinkle the dough with a bit of flour 21

and roll it around a rolling pin 22. It will be easier this way to transfer it to a 9 inch mold 23 (better if with a removable bottom). Let the dough adhere well to the mold by applying light pressure with your fingers both on the bottom and on the edges 24

and remove the excess using a small knife 25. Do not throw away the scraps but add them to the pastry set aside, kneading very quickly: all will be needed to make the top layer. Prick the bottom of the tart with the tines of a fork 26; then add the milk cream 27

and spread it evenly over the entire surface of the tart 28. Roll out the pastry set aside, again obtaining a thickness of 1/4 inch 29 and as done previously, rolling it on the rolling pin, transfer it over the cream 30.

Always with your fingertips, press on the edge to make it adhere to the one below 31 and again remove the excess pastry 32. Using the blade of a small knife, make small cuts on the surface of the tart 33

then brush it with apricot jam 34 and scatter almond flakes everywhere (35-36). All that's left is to bake your tart in a preheated static oven at 350°F for about 40 minutes on the lower rack.

Then take it out of the oven 37 and let it cool completely. At this point, you can unmold 38 and serve your milk and almond tart 39.