This wonderful lemon tart is a beautifully refreshing pudding for spring and summer. It's full of zesty vibrancy, with a wholesome flavour of the lemon, rich, creamy and smooth. It is actually an easy recipe to make. You don't have to worry too much about overcooking the eggs since it all goes into the blender. It's best to make the sweet pastry in advance to let it rest in the fridge first. Ensure that you cook the base well until it's golden brown and that it is cold before pouring in the warm lemon mixture. The photo shows the way we do it at Gidleigh Park. I've simplified the recipe to make a single tart. Enjoy!
Serves 12
Ingredients
Sweet pastry
Lemon cream
Icing sugar
Crème chantilly
Sweet pastry
250g butter
175g icing sugar
3 eggs
Pinch of salt
Zest of an orange
500g flour
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes at 160°C
Equipment: Tart ring 25mm x 260mm
Planning ahead: The pastry must be prepared in advance, wrapped in cling film and refrigerated for at least two hours before using.
Method
1 In a mixing bowl cream together the butter and the icing sugar until white using a hand blender/whisk. Add the sieved flour, orange zest and the pinch of salt and bring the mix to a sandy crumble.
2 Little by little, add the eggs, then bring the mix together on low speed. Once the mix is firm, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least two hours before using.
3 Butter the ring and place on to a flat bottomed tray, roll out the pastry evenly and line the tart using a piece of pastry to ensure that the corners are well pressed into the bottom of the ring. Leave the excess overhanging the edge, then line with parchment paper before filling with baking beans to the top.
4 Bake for 10 minutes in the pre-heated oven and then remove from the oven and using a sharp, serrated knife cut away the top of the excess pasty and then return to the oven and continue to bake for a further 10 minutes. Remove beans and paper and place back into the oven and cook for a further minute or two to ensure the base is dry. Leave to cool before filling with the hot lemon cream.
Lemon cream
400ml lemon juice (juice of approximately 8 to 10 lemons)
Finely grated zest of half a lemon
12 egg yolks
6 eggs
300g sugar
250g butter
5 Bring the lemon juice and zest to the boil in a saucepan.
6 Cream together the egg yolks, eggs and sugar, then add the 10ml of the hot lemon juice, whisk together until smooth and then add the remaining lemon juice.
7 Bring back to the boil, whisking all the time until smooth and the eggs are just beginning to thicken and set.
8 Remove from the heat and place into a blender, add the butter progressively and blend until smooth. Pour into the pre-baked tart and leave to set in the fridge.
Crème chantilly
150ml whipping cream
20g icing sugar
9 Sift the icing sugar into the cream and whip to peak. Leave in the fridge until needed.
Serving
Remove the ring from the tart and cut the tart into the required portion size and then dust with icing sugar lightly. Using a blow lamp, caramelise the icing sugar lightly and leave to cool. Spoon on some crème chantilly and enjoy!
