Unexpected bad news and funerals have put me off posting for a while, but I'm still busy cooking and I thought I would show you how to make a classic lemon tart. You will need:
200g plain flour
125g unsalted butter
350g caster sugar
3 lemons
7 eggs
200ml double cream
and a fair amount of time, this one will be at least a couple of hours from beginning to end (including resting time.)
Start by making the sweet pastry: Into a bowl with 200g plain flour, grate the zest of one lemon, then add 125g butter cut into small pieces.
Rub the butter into the flour until you have a texture like breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre of the bowl and add 50g caster sugar and the yolk of one egg (don't throw away the white!).
Using the tips of the fingers of one hand, gradually mix the egg into the sugar, then incorporate the flour. You should get a dry mix that when pressed together will form a ball of dough. If it is a little crumbly still, you may have to add up to a tablespoon of cold water. Knead the mixture a little so that it is smooth and well mixed.
Then wrap the dough in cling film and rest in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile lightly grease a 20cm loose bottomed flan ring and line the base with baking paper (not greaseproof.)
When the dough is rested you can roll it out. This is best done between two sheets of baking paper, it doesn't stick, and you're not adding in any more flour. when you've rolled the dough out to around the thickness of a tupenny bit (2-3 mm), gently roll it over your pin and lift it (quickly) onto your tin. Lift the edges and bring them in towards the centre, dropping the paste into the flan dish as you work your way round. If your pastry completely breaks up, don't worry, scoop it up and re-roll it. (It may be too wet, in which case knead it to a smooth ball again, and roll it out on a floured board, just to add a little flour back in to the mix.)
Break off a bit of excess dough, make a little ball and dip it in flour. Now use that to press the dough in to the bottom edge of the tin.
Leave the dough draped over the edge of the tin, but tear off a bit of excess dough and wrap in clingfilm to put back in the fridge. This will be handy if you notice any tears, cracks or splits later, you can use this to patch it up. Cut a circle of baking paper a little larger than the tin. Crumple it up to soften it, prick the pastry base with a fork, then line the case with the paper and fill with baking beans.
Put the case on a baking tray and blind bake in an oven at around 170DegC for about 15 minutes. At the end of that time remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for another 3-5 minutes, just to dry out the base a bit.
Leave the case out to cool, then run a sharp knife around the top to trim up any leftover pastry still clinging to the edge. Brush out any crumbs that have fallen into the case. Nibble on the offcuts of pastry, saying: "Ummm, that melts in the mouth...."
Use the reserved bit of uncooked pastry to patch any holes or cracks that might have opened up at this point.
To make the filling, zest two more lemons into a bowl, then add the juice of all three lemons. Empty in the reserved egg white and add 6 more eggs. Add 300g caster sugar and whisk it all together until smooth. Stir in the double cream.
Reduce the oven temperature to 150DegC. Pour the filling into the case as close to the oven as possible, right up to a couple of millimetres from the top. Now carefully pop it in the oven for 30-40 minutes until it is just set.
Check at the end of 30 minutes, if you gently move the tray the filling should just 'wibble,' if it 'wobbles,' or sloshes around, it's not set. Touching the top should feel like the skin on a cool custard, and it may be just colouring around the edge. If it gets too dark, your oven is too hot, or you've left it in too long.
Out it comes, and onto a cooling rack.
A tip here: If after 10 or 15 minutes of cooling, there are cracks appearing in the surface as it shrinks (this may happen more with deeper tins), place a sheet of baking paper over the top, and gently press it down all over with the flat of your hand. You'll find when you lift the paper that the cracks are gone. The lemon tart slices best when completely cool, preferably left overnight in a fridge, so this is a great recipe to prepare a day ahead. When you get the tart out of the fridge, sit it on a bowl or tin that's slightly taller than the flan tin itself. for ease of unmoulding, gently heat the side of the tin with a cooks blowtorch, then press it down leaving the tart sitting on top of the bowl. Leave on the base of the tin to slice, or carefully transfer the whole thing onto a plate.
Dust with icing sugar and serve with pouring cream or ice cream.
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