Steps

• Arrange the flour in a mound and pour the sugar into the center. Then add the eggs, egg yolks, butter cut into pieces, grated lemon zest or vanilla, and salt. Knead with your fingertips to avoid warming the dough and work it quickly until you obtain a nice homogeneous dough. Flatten it: don’t make a ball because a flattened dough cools faster and better. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for about thirty minutes. If you have time, prepare the shortcrust pastry the day before and leave it in the fridge overnight. To prepare the shortcrust pastry with a food processor (or a mixer with a paddle attachment), you can proceed in two ways: pour the sugar and butter into the mixer and give it a first blend, add the eggs and blend again. Add the sifted flour, salt, and aromas and blend until a ball forms. Or blend the butter with the flour first to obtain many crumbs (this process is called ‘sanding’) and then add the sugar, eggs, salt, and aromas, blending until a ball forms. Form a flattened rectangular dough, wrap it in plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge.

• After the resting time, roll out half of the dough (keeping the rest in the fridge) with a rolling pin on a floured work surface or a sheet of parchment paper. Transfer the shortcrust pastry into the tart pan, fill with the jam (I chose citrusy apple jam, but you can use any you prefer). Roll out the remaining pastry and cut into strips: use them to decorate the tart, then bake in a preheated oven at 356°F for about 30 minutes.