Whisk together the egg yolk, cream, and vanilla in a small bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse to combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Scatter the pieces of butter over the flour mixture, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about fifteen 1-second pulses. With the food processor running, add the egg mixture and process just until the dough comes together, ~25 seconds. Remove dough to a piece of plastic wrap and press into a 6-inch disk, wrap up, and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour, maximum of 48 hours.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator. If it has been longer than 1 hour, let the dough stand at room temperature until it is malleable. Unwrap the disk and roll it out into a 13-inch round between 2 pieces of floured parchment paper. If the dough becomes soft and sticky, slip it into the refrigerator until for another 20 - 30 minutes before proceeding.
Transfer the dough to a tart pan (9- or 9 1/2-inch diameter pan with removable bottom). To easily transfer dough, wrap it loosely around a rolling pin and carefully unwrap over the pan. Ease the dough into the pan edges and press it into the fluted sides. Run the rolling pin over the top of the tart to remove the excess dough that hangs over the top edge. Set pan on a plate and freeze for 30 minutes. (You may also put the pan in a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag and freeze for up to 1 month!)
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat to 375F. Set the dough-lined tart pan on a baking sheet and place a 12-inch square of aluminum foil over the surface of the dough, putting pie weights inside to keep the foil on the dough surface. Bake for ~30 minutes until golden brown, rotating half way through. Remove from oven, carefully remove pie weights and foil, and continue baking until deep golden brown in color, about 5 - 8 more minutes. Set the baking sheet with the tart shell on a wire rack to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.