In a small sauce pan on medium heat, slowly heat the 2 cups of milk and lemon verbena leaves until the milk is steaming but no bubbles form (it should be hot but just before boiling). At this point, turn off the heat and cover with a lid to steep for 1 hour

After the milk has stepped, strain out all the leaves and set aside

Set aside a bowl to cool the pastry cream with a fine-mesh sieve on top

In another bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and sugar. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth. Set aside the mixture

In a saucepan, pour in the milk and the vanilla bean paste. Add the salt and mix. Place the mixture on medium-high heat until just under a boil. Be sure to stir the mixture occasionally to ensure the milk solids do not stick to the bottom of the pan

When the milk is warmed, add 1/3 of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to ensure the eggs do not cook. After it is combined, pour the egg-milk mixture back into the remaining ⅔ of the hot milk. Whisk over medium heat until the mixture is as thick as lightly whipped cream. It should just come just barely to a boil – be sure not to let it get beyond this as the cream will curdle. Remove from the heat and immediately pour through the sieve into the bowl. Do not leave the pastry cream in the bowl as it will continue to cook.

Let the cream cool slightly for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally and then mix in the butter one piece at a time. Stir until smooth before adding the next piece of butter

Cool the pastry cream by tightly covering a bowl with plastic wrap. The plastic should press onto the pastry cream to keep it from developing a skin. After wrapping, place in the refrigerator to chill.

Makes enough for a 9” tart

Whisk the egg yolk, cream almond extract and vanilla. Set aside.

In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt until evenly combined. Scatter over the chilled butter pieces and pulse until the mixture has butter pieces a little smaller than peas (this will be about 15 pulses).

While the food processor is running, add in the egg mixture through the tube in the lid. Process the dough until it just forms a ball around the blade (10-15 seconds).

Place the dough in plastic wrap and wrap it tightly. Refrigerate for 1 hour or more. Place on the counter for ~10 minutes before rolling.

To blind bake the tart dough, roll it into an 11 inch circle. Place the circle on the tart dish and gently press the dough into the bottom of the tart pan, moving in a circle motion until the bottom sits flat. Once the bottom is flat across the base, press in the sides of the tart with your finger and cut off any excess dough with a knife.

Cut a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the entire crust. Place it over the tart and fill with dried beans or rice until the tart is filled.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove from the oven and remove the parchment and baking weights (rice or beans). Prick the bottom with a fork 5-10 times and bake for 15-20 more minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cool

Pour the cooled custard inside the cooled tart shell, use a spatula to even as needed

Heat the jam until just warm and strain. Set aside

Top the tart with thinly sliced peaches and brush the apricot jam on top