Smoked Fish Tart with Parmesan Crust

Leave the butter and lard at room temperature to soften.

Sift flour and a pinch of salt into a large bowl, holding the sieve as high as possible to aerate the flour. Add lard and butter. Mix with a knife. When it resembles an even crumb, start rubbing the fat into the flour with your fingers, occasionally lifting the mixture above the bowl and letting it fall down. Add grated Parmesan and mix.

Then sprinkle the dough with about a tablespoon of cold water, mix again with a knife using cutting motions. After that, knead the dough by hand until smooth, adding a little water as needed until it stops sticking and forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees, along with the baking tray, on the middle rack.

Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it into a circle on a lightly floured surface. Carefully transfer it to a tart pan (19–20 cm in diameter) using a rolling pin. Flatten and press it slightly. The edges of the dough should extend about 5 mm above the pan. Prick the base with a fork. Lightly beat the eggs and brush the base, remembering the edges. Bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes until golden and crispy. Check if the base is rising in the center. If so, press it down with your hands, prick it again with a fork, and return it to the oven.

Take the base out of the oven. Reduce the temperature to 170 degrees.

Place cod and herring in a small pot, pour in milk, add bay leaf and a bit of nutmeg. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer fish to a plate. Take out the bay leaf from the milk.

Lightly beat the eggs and yolks with a little nutmeg, without adding salt. Heat the fish milk, add crème fraîche (can be replaced with heavy cream), and heat again.

Quickly whisk the egg mixture, then carefully and slowly pour in the milk mixture.

Cut the fish fillet into pieces about 1 cm. Place it on the dough along with slices of salmon. Sprinkle with capers and finely chopped gherkins. Pour in half of the milk mixture, transfer to a baking tray, then pour in the rest. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes — this is a very important moment for easy slicing of the tart.