Pantxineta: Basque cream pastry

Make the rough-puff pastry. Combine the cold flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and work them in by hand, pressing flat but leaving large, visible pieces — the dough should look shaggy, not smooth. Add the iced water gradually, bringing the dough together without overworking. Flatten into a rectangle, wrap, and rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove, fold the dough in thirds as for a letter, rotate 90 degrees, and roll again. Repeat twice more, resting the dough in the refrigerator between each fold. After the final fold, rest the dough for at least 30 minutes. The dough is ready when it is cold, firm, and shows distinct streaks of butter throughout.

Make the pastry cream. Warm the milk with the strip of lemon zest in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to steam. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and sifted flour until pale and smooth. Remove the lemon zest from the milk. Pour a ladleful of hot milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to temper, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking without pause, until the cream thickens to a consistency that holds a firm mound when dropped from a spoon — it must be thick enough to hold its shape when cold. Transfer immediately to a clean bowl, press clingfilm directly onto the surface to prevent a skin forming, and refrigerate until completely cold.

Divide the rested pastry into two equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a round or rectangle of approximately 3–4 mm thickness to fit the tart tin. Line the tin with one sheet of pastry, pressing it gently into the base and sides. Prick the base thoroughly with a fork at close intervals to prevent ballooning. Spread the cold pastry cream over the base in an even layer, leaving a border of 2 cm at the edge. Lay the second sheet of pastry over the top. Press the edges firmly together and trim the excess. Transfer the assembled tart, uncovered, to the refrigerator and rest for at least 30 minutes. This is where the dish lives or dies: if the assembled pastry is not fully cold when it enters the oven, the butter melts before steam can form, the layers collapse, and the cream softens the base.

Heat the oven to 200 °C. Remove the tart from the refrigerator. Brush the top surface evenly with the beaten egg wash. Scatter the toasted flaked almonds across the egg-washed surface immediately before baking — they should cover it in a single, even layer. Bake until the pastry is deep golden and the layers are visibly risen and separated at the sides, approximately 25–30 minutes. The almonds should be a deep, even gold, not pale.

Remove the tart from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Once cool, dust generously with icing sugar. Do not apply the sugar before or during baking. Serve at room temperature — cold pantxineta loses its textural contrast between the flaky pastry, set cream, and crunchy almonds.