Luscious Lemon Tart
For me, weekends, and especially Sundays, are perfect for baking. This tart is an absolute classic and I love to make it when I have a bit of time to dedicate to making it perfect.
I have yet to find anyone who doesn't love this tart - it's zingy, tangy and zesty in all the right proportions and it'll have you going back for slice after slice! And the best thing? It's totally fool-proof! What's more, it can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for a couple of months - but I doubt you'll be able to resist it for that long!
Luscious Lemon Tart
For the pastry:
125g plain flour
65g unsalted butter, diced
pinch salt
1½ tbsp icing sugar
zest ½ lemon
1 egg yolk
For the filling:
Finely grated zest and juice of 5 lemons
300ml double cream
390g caster sugar
9 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
To serve:
icing sugar
For the pastry, place the flour and butter in a food processor and process until you have coarse crumbs. Add salt, sugar and lemon zest and process until combined. Add egg yolk then enough cold water (about 1 tablespoon) to form a dough. Transfer the dough to a floured bench, knead lightly, sandwich between two large sheets of clingfilm and set aside in the fridge 30 minutes.
Roll the pastry between the two sheets of clingfilm to a thickness of 2mm, using two stacked 2 pence coins as guides, then place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 190ºC/gas mark 5. Line a 26cm tart tin (2.5cm deep) with the pastry making sure to press it into the edges and leaving the pastry hanging over the edge. Take a sheet of baking paper and scrunch it up several times to eliminate any sharp edges. Prick the dough with a fork all over the surface. Place the baking paper on top and add enough coins (or baking beans) to fill the casing ¼ of the way up. Place in the preheated oven to bake for approximately 20 minutes or until fully cooked.
In the meantime, mix some of the leftover dough with an egg using a hand blender. After 20 minutes, remove the baking paper and coins and, using a pastry brush, brush the entire surface of the tart with the dough and egg mixture. This ‘liquid pastry’ will ensure that any holes will be sealed. Return the tart to the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool completely.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 120ºC/gas mark ½. Place the baked pastry case in the oven to warm up.
For the filling, put all the ingredients into a heatproof bowl and mix together using a spatula. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to warm up until the temperature reaches 60ºC. At this point, strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug. With a spoon, remove the bubbles from the surface of the liquid.
Slide the oven rack out a bit, then pour the mixture into the warm pastry case inside the oven. Fill the case to the top, slide the rack carefully back in, and bake the tart for approximately 25 minutes or until the temperature of the filling reaches 70ºC. Allow to cool completely at room temperature.
Just before serving, trim the overhanging pastry by running a sharp knife round the top of the tart tin and discard. Sieve over a dusting of icing sugar and serve.
I have yet to find anyone who doesn't love this tart - it's zingy, tangy and zesty in all the right proportions and it'll have you going back for slice after slice! And the best thing? It's totally fool-proof! What's more, it can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for a couple of months - but I doubt you'll be able to resist it for that long!
Luscious Lemon Tart
For the pastry:
125g plain flour
65g unsalted butter, diced
pinch salt
1½ tbsp icing sugar
zest ½ lemon
1 egg yolk
For the filling:
Finely grated zest and juice of 5 lemons
300ml double cream
390g caster sugar
9 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
To serve:
icing sugar
For the pastry, place the flour and butter in a food processor and process until you have coarse crumbs. Add salt, sugar and lemon zest and process until combined. Add egg yolk then enough cold water (about 1 tablespoon) to form a dough. Transfer the dough to a floured bench, knead lightly, sandwich between two large sheets of clingfilm and set aside in the fridge 30 minutes.
Roll the pastry between the two sheets of clingfilm to a thickness of 2mm, using two stacked 2 pence coins as guides, then place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 190ºC/gas mark 5. Line a 26cm tart tin (2.5cm deep) with the pastry making sure to press it into the edges and leaving the pastry hanging over the edge. Take a sheet of baking paper and scrunch it up several times to eliminate any sharp edges. Prick the dough with a fork all over the surface. Place the baking paper on top and add enough coins (or baking beans) to fill the casing ¼ of the way up. Place in the preheated oven to bake for approximately 20 minutes or until fully cooked.
In the meantime, mix some of the leftover dough with an egg using a hand blender. After 20 minutes, remove the baking paper and coins and, using a pastry brush, brush the entire surface of the tart with the dough and egg mixture. This ‘liquid pastry’ will ensure that any holes will be sealed. Return the tart to the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool completely.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 120ºC/gas mark ½. Place the baked pastry case in the oven to warm up.
For the filling, put all the ingredients into a heatproof bowl and mix together using a spatula. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to warm up until the temperature reaches 60ºC. At this point, strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug. With a spoon, remove the bubbles from the surface of the liquid.
Slide the oven rack out a bit, then pour the mixture into the warm pastry case inside the oven. Fill the case to the top, slide the rack carefully back in, and bake the tart for approximately 25 minutes or until the temperature of the filling reaches 70ºC. Allow to cool completely at room temperature.
Just before serving, trim the overhanging pastry by running a sharp knife round the top of the tart tin and discard. Sieve over a dusting of icing sugar and serve.
Comments
Post a Comment