Jeremy Vincent: macadamia tart

I'M A sucker for nibbling on nuts as a snack, but I also love to incorporate them with the earthy tastes of mushrooms. They go together so well.

I often scatter a few chopped nuts through a stir-fry where mushrooms have been added, or sprinkle them over a salad to provide a finishing crunch.

When it comes to baked recipes, I'm regularly falling back on to this delicious mushroom and macadamia nut tart. It travels well (for a picnic), and for a meal at home it serves well either as an entree or as a main course with a salad.

This tart might seem complicated, but you have the option of skipping a step and buying pre-made pastry, although I confess a self-made pastry is well worth the effort.

MUSHROOM AND MACADAMIA TART

• 1 x 23cm prepared shallow tart shell, or make your own (recipe follows)

PASTRY

• 100g chilled unsalted butter
• 125g plain flour
• 3-4 tbspns sour cream

FILLING

• 30g butter
• 2 tbspns chopped shallot
• 170g fresh mushrooms, chopped fine
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 cup cream
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3 tbspns finely chopped fresh parsley
• 180g salted roasted macadamia nuts, ground fine in a food processor
• freshly grated nutmeg
• extra salted roasted macadamia nuts, for garnish
• 1 large egg, beaten with a pinch of salt, for glaze

The pastry: Chop the butter into small pieces and put in a food processor with the flour. Blend until the mix resembles a large breadcrumb consistency. Add the sour cream gradually - you may not need it all. When the mixture begins to ball together in the machine your mix is ready. Turn on to a floured surface and pull together with your hands. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 20 minutes before rolling out and lining your tin.

The filling: Melt the butter in a deep saucepan, add the shallots, and saute over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, for 3 minutes or until the mixture is dry. Transfer to a bowl; let cool to room temperature.

Whisk the cream with the egg and yolks until blended. Add the mushroom mixture and parsley, and mix well. Gently stir in the ground macadamia nuts. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Butter a 23cm round fluted tart tin with a removable rim. Let the pastry soften at room temperature for a minute before rolling it. Roll about two-thirds of the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about a quarter-centimetre thick and about 26cm in diameter. Roll the pastry loosely around the rolling pin and unroll it over the tart tin. Gently ease the pastry into the tin. Using your thumb, push the pastry down slightly at the top edge of the tin, making the top edge of the dough thicker than the remaining dough. Roll the rolling pin across the pan to cut off excess dough. With your finger and thumb, press the dough gently against the tin so that it rises slightly above the rim. Prick the bottom of the shell lightly with a fork. Refrigerate the pastry shell for 30 minutes.

Roll the remaining dough to a thin sheet and cut in strips about a half centimetre wide and 20cm long. Refrigerate the strips side by side on a lightly floured plate. If they become stiff, let them soften about 5 minutes at room temperature before using.

Put a baking tray into the oven and preheat to 220C.

Spoon the cool filling into the tart shell. Brush the rim of the shell lightly with egg glaze. Arrange pastry strips parallel to each other at equal intervals above filling. Press to stick the ends of each strip to the glazed rim. Arrange more parallel strips crossing first group of strips in a criss-cross pattern. Stick these strips to the rim.

Set the tart carefully on the hot baking tray and bake it for 10 minutes.

Remove the tart from the oven and arrange the macadamia nuts on the filling between the pastry strips; brush nuts and strips quickly with egg glaze.

Reduce oven temperature to 200C and continue to bake the tart for 25 minutes or until pastry browns and the filling sets. Transfer the tart to a rack and let it cool for 10 minutes. Remove sides of the tin.

The tart can be kept covered, overnight in the refrigerator. Serve it hot, warm, or at room temperature.