La Cigale: Wild honey and walnut tart

Warwick introduced this tart as a bistro dessert shortly after he started with us. It's still one of our most popular desserts, and is also delicious for morning or afternoon tea. William's manuka or bush honey from Great Barrier Island is really good for this. Use good-quality fresh walnuts. If you have the time, make Warwick's Sweet Short Pastry, as it transports this from a great tart to something sublime. Serve with cream or yoghurt.

1 Sweet Short Pastry

FILLING

120g unsalted butter

150g good honey

100ml cream

2 tbsp dark rum

300g shelled walnut pieces

150g sugar

5 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 160C. Line a 23cm tart tin or dish with pastry. Prick the pastry with a fork and line the case with baking paper and baking beans.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, then remove the beans and paper and cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden. Leave to cool for a while.

Increase the oven temperature to 170C.

Put the butter in a pot and soften on a low heat. Add the honey. Once the butter and honey have melted, add the cream and rum. Warm through.

Mix the walnut pieces and sugar together in a bowl.

Lightly whisk the egg yolks, then pour them over the honey mixture. Mix in the walnuts and sugar.

Stir well, and fill the tart with the mixture. Bake for 40 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

- Serves 8

Sweet Short Pastry

Warwick insisted that all our chefs make pastry by hand the classical way he was taught. I'm glad he did, as you can really taste the difference. Guests rave about the pastry in our French Onion Tart and our dessert tarts. Warwick said that the difference comes because of the way the ingredients are handled. The butter must be very cold and is mixed in quickly. Follow these instructions and you'll love the results.

350g plain flour

pinch of salt

150g unsalted butter

2 eggs

100g icing sugar (leave this out for savoury pastry)

Make a small mound of the flour and salt on a cold working surface. Grate the cold butter straight on to the flour, and add the eggs and sugar.Work everything through the flour, pushing and pulling it with the heel of your palm. Work as quickly as possible, so that the gluten activates while the butter stays as cold as possible.

Push and pull until the dough forms. Shape it into a ball. Flatten it with your hand, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.

If you don't want to use it all at once it freezes well. - Makes 700g

La Cigale

By Elizabeth Lind, Random House, $55