DAILY DINNERS

Put the butter and the sugar in a food processor and whizz until just combined. Add the egg and whizz for 30 seconds. Tip in the flour  and process for a few seconds until the dough just comes together. (Don't over process the dough or it will be tough) Add 1 tbsp of cold water if the dough seems too dry. Knead lightly on a floured surface, then shape into a flat disc, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins before rolling out.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a 23 cm fluted flan tin, about 5 cm deep, with a removable base. Leave the excess pastry overhanging the sides. Press the pastry well into the sides of the tin and patch any gaps. Stand the flan tin on a baking sheet. Line the pastry case with foil and baking beans and leave to rest in the fridge for 20 mins. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200C/Fan180C/Gas 6.

For the filling, pour the milk into a pan and add the cardamom and cinnamon. Bring just to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to stand for 15 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.

Bake the pastry case "blind" for about 15 mins, until the pastry is just set. Remove the foil and baking beans, then return to the oven for 5 mins to cook the base. Turn the oven down to 180C/ Fan160C/Gas 4.

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, cornflour and egg yolks. Strain the milk through a fine sieve into a jug and discard the spices. Gradually stir the infused milk into the egg mixture. Whisk the egg whites until softly stiff and fold into the egg yolk mixture.

Pour the filling into the pastry case. Bake for about 20 minutes until the filling is brown on top, then turn the oven down to 110C/Fan 90C/Gas 1/2 and bake for a further 1 hour until the custard has just set. It should have a slight wobble in the centre. Trim off the excess crust from the pastry and leave to cool completely before serving.