Caramel Nut Tart

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3-4 tablespoons ice water
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup slivered blanched almonds
• Whipped cream, optional

Directions

1. Whisk the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together until evenly combined. Drop in the cut up pieces of butter, then work them into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until no bits of butter are larger than a pea. If you’d rather use a food processor here, that works too.
2. Drizzle in the vanilla and 3 tablespoons of ice water. Use a fork to pull the liquid through the dough until it starts coming together. You can also do this in a food processor. Add up to a tablespoon more of ice water, using only what you need, until the dough holds together easily when you pinch it between your fingers.
3. Gather the dough into a ball, kneading it once or twice if it needs a little help, then press it into a disk. Wrap the disk in plastic and chill it for 1 hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it rest for 10 minutes. Set it on a clean, lightly floured surface and roll it into a 12-inch round. Fit the dough into a 9 1/2-inch-diameter tart pan with a removable bottom.
5. Press the dough gently across the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Run the rolling pin across the top of the tart pan to trim and neaten the edges.
6. Prick the bottom of the dough all over with a fork, then freeze it for 30 minutes.
7. Bake the crust at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes, pricking the bottom with a fork if any bubbles appear. Move the crust to a rack and let it cool.
8. Combine the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a heavy medium saucepan with high sides. Set it over medium-low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
9. After the sugar dissolves, turn the heat up to medium high. Let it boil without stirring until the caramel turns a deep amber color, swirling the pan from time to time, about 10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium.
10. Slowly stir in the cream, taking care because the mixture will bubble up quite a lot, which is exactly why you want that high sided pot. Keep stirring until the caramel is smooth.
11. Add the butter, honey and vanilla, and stir until the butter has completely melted.
12. Stir all of the nuts into the caramel.
13. Pour the caramel mixture into the pre-baked crust. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Take the tart out of the oven and let it cool completely on a rack.
14. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if you like.