When it comes to lemon tart, keep it simple – this should be an elegant, rather than a fussy dish, with a silky, zingy filling encased in thin, delicate pastry, and, in this instance, decorated with slim slices of candied lemon, to add just a hint of interesting bitterness. A rare ray of sunshine in these darkening autumn days.
Ingredients
For the pastry:
180g plain flour
90g caster sugar
90g unsalted butter, diced
3 egg yolks and 1 egg white
For the filling:
5 unwaxed lemons
275g caster sugar
4 eggs, beaten
300g unsalted butter
Method
To make the pastry, put the flour, sugar and a pinch of salt in a food processor and pulse briefly to mix. Add the diced butter and pulse until well combined. With the motor running, add the egg yolks and continue to mix until it comes together into a dough. Remove, shape into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill for about an hour, until pliable but not sticky to the touch.
Preheat the oven to 190C. Roll out the pastry until about ½cm thick, and use to line a greased 22cm fluted tart tin. Refrigerate until firm, then line with greaseproof paper and baking beans, and blind bake for about 15 minutes until golden, then remove the paper and beans and brush the base with egg white. Put back in the oven for another 8 minutes, then remove and turn off the oven.
To make the filling, finely zest the lemons into a heatproof bowl, add 225g caster sugar and rub together with your fingers. Stir in the eggs and the juice of 3½ lemons, and then set the bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure it doesn’t touch the water. Heat, whisking gently but continuously, until it thickens to the texture of lemon curd: this should take about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, leaving the pan where it is, and allow to cool for 10 minutes, then stir in the butter and process with a blender until smooth. Scoop into the tart case, smooth the top and allow to cool completely.
Meanwhile, cut the remaining lemon into thin slices and remove the pips. Soften in the pan of simmering water for 10 minutes. Dissolve the remaining 50g sugar in 50ml water in a wide pan, and bring to the boil. Add the lemon slices and simmer for 10 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and arrange on top of the tart. Brush with the remaining syrup, and allow to set before serving.
Serve with crème fraiche
Original Recipe The Guardian Felicity Cloake
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