Silky Egg Custard Pie

Make the pastry. In a bowl or food processor, combine the 180 g flour, sugar and salt, then work in the 120 g cold butter until the largest bits are pea-size. Add the 60 ml ice-cold water and mix only until the dough clumps, with up to 15 ml more if needed. Shape into a disc, wrap and chill 1 h so the butter firms and the flour hydrates.

Line the dish. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a 30 cm round about 3 mm thick and lower it into the 23 cm pie dish. Trim to a 1 cm overhang, tuck the edge under and crimp, then chill 30 min. Resting stops the pastry shrinking down the sides.

Blind bake. With the oven at 190 °C (170 °C fan), prick the base, line it with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake 20 min, remove the paper and beans and give it 8-12 min more until golden all over. A fully baked shell is essential here because the custard only spends a few minutes in the oven.

Heat the dairy. Keep the oven at 190 °C (170 °C fan) and the shell warm. Heat the milk and cream in the saucepan over medium-low heat until steaming, about 6 min, and meanwhile whisk the eggs, sugar, cornflour, vanilla, nutmeg and salt in a bowl until smooth. The cornflour protects the eggs from curdling when the hot milk goes in.

Thicken the custard. Whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture in a thin stream, pour it back into the pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring and scraping the base constantly, 6-8 min. It is ready when it reaches at least 71 °C, thickly coats the spoon and leaves a ridge when you scrape the base. Starting the set on the hob means only a short bake, so the crust never turns soggy.

Bake briefly. Pour the hot custard into the warm shell, grate a little nutmeg over and bake 12-15 min. Take it out when the edge is set and the centre still wobbles slightly; it firms as it cools, and overbaking makes it weep.

Cool and chill. Cool on the rack 2 h, then chill at least 1 h for neat wedges and cut into 8. A gradual cool keeps the surface smooth and uncracked. Keep covered in the fridge up to 3 days.