Old-fashioned Currant Tart

-PASTRY CREAM-
1 c Milk
1/4 c Sugar
3 Egg yolks
3 tb Flour
1 ts Vanilla

FINISHING
3 pt Fresh red currants
– rinsed and stemmed
1/2 c Toasted, sliced almonds
Confectioners’ sugar

-GLAZE-
1 c Red currant jelly
2 tb Kirsch

FOR THE DOUGH: Beat the butter and sugar with the paddle on medium speed
until very soft and light. Beat in the vanilla and the yolk and continue
beating until smooth and shiny, about 3 more minutes. Stop the mixer, sift
the cake flour and add to the butter mixture. Pulse the mixer on and off to
incorporate the flour. Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic, wrap and
chill it until firm. FOR THE PASTRY CREAM: Combine the milk and half the
sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk the yolks with the remaining sugar
and sift the flour over and whisk it in. Beat 1/3 of the boiling milk into
the yolk mixture and return the remaining milk to a boil. Beat the yolk
mixture into the boiling milk and continue beating until the cream thickens
and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Scrape the
cream onto a clean plate, cover with plastic wrap and chill. Roll the dough
and fit it into a 10-to-11-inch tart pan. Cut a disk of parchment paper to
fit the inside of the dough and fill with dried beans. Preheat oven to
325F. Bake the tart shell about 20 minutes, until set. Remove the paper and
beans and continue baking 5 minutes more to color the pastry. Do not
over-bake. Cool the shell in the pan. Spread the cooled pastry cream on the
cooled tart shell. Arrange the currants on the pastry cream. Bring the
jelly and kirsch to a boil and strain. Reduce to thicken if necessary.
Brush the glaze on the berries. Edge the tart with the almonds and sprinkle
the almonds with the confectioners’ sugar.