2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup sugar

Pinch of salt

Zest of 1 lemon

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

3 large egg yolks

¼ cup chilled Vin Santo (traditional Italian wine) or sweet sherry (I like oloroso)

2 cups jam

sliced almonds (optional)

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt, and zest; pulse 2 or 3 times to mix. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.

In a small bowl, beat egg yolks with Vin Santo. With machine running, add to flour mixture; process until dough comes together and pulls away from sides of bowl, 5 to 6 seconds. Turn dough out onto work surface; shape into disc. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, thin the jam with hot water a teaspoon at a time, stirring until smooth; season with a dash of pepper. Mix well. Set aside.

Remove dough from refrigerator. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a circle 14 inches in diameter. Fit dough into a 12-inch fluted round tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing gently into sides and bottom, or just roll out and make a lip. Trim excess pastry by rolling the rolling pin across top if using a pan.

Spread jam mixture over dough. Sprinkle on almonds, if using.

Bake until filling is glossy and dough is deeply golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for several minutes. Serve warm.