The yummiest lemon tart EVER

I baked this delectable Lemon tart in September, last year for my gorgeous sister-in-law’s birthday.

I wasn’t going to post the recipe because of the white, cloudy bubbly appearance on the tart, which annoyed me, and whenever I looked at it, all I could see was its imperfection.

Don’t get me wrong it’s not because it’s not perfect looking, I love imperfections, sometimes they make things interesting. Not in this case, but what do I know? Isn’t beauty in the eyes of the beholder? Anyway, it wasn’t because of its looks that I was going to hide this unfavoured production from the eyes of humanity forever as my own guilty secret, never to be seen or spoken of; it was because I did what I tell my readers NOT TO DO when baking a cake, and I was too ashamed (I had to spend two days watching Brene Brown videos to recover.)

But then I forgave myself because I slowed down long enough to remember that I have diagnosed myself with ADHD, so that’s my excuse and to save you from making these mistakes I have outlined all the things you need to do before making the cake to achieve one which looks as good as it tastes.

this is the most sublime tasting tart, boasting a tangy and lemony flavour, with a silky smooth texture, recipe is  by Flour and Stone restaurant in Sydney and the crispy, buttery crust, that melts in your mouth is by Catherine Adams from Gourmet Traveller magazine

Honestly this is one of the best tarty tarts you’ll ever taste.

 I only have the reel for the pie crust. Sadly i accidentally deleted the reel for the filling .

The good news is that its so easy to make you don't need a reel to see how its' made.

I opted for the Flour and Stone lemon filling because it's a quick 5-minute job and undeniably delicious. Although their crust is tasty, (I have made it before) I found the process laborious and time-consuming. Wanting to whip up a quick tart without sacrificing quality, I searched for alternatives and stumbled upon the Gourmet Traveller's recipe, which offers a delicious and easy-to-make crust.

Flour and stone offer quantities for two tart sizes 28cm and 22 cm . For your convenience i have included both of them.

The size for the tart pastry tin by Catherine Adam is 24cm . You can use a 22cm tart tin, but you will have some pastry left over.

The size I used was a 3cm deep x 30cm loose bottom round tart tin and I doubled the pastry ingredients, except for the icing sugar I kept it the same. I used the list of of ingredients for the 28cm tin.

Valuable tips from the experts at Flour and Stone and Catherine Adams  to keep in mind:

PASTRY TIPS

For a nice crisp finish

You can add a little water to the dough to make it a bit elastic so it's easier to work with and you get a nice crisp finish.

Rest the pastry before rolling

Rest the pastry in the refrigerator after mixing it to give the flour time to hydrate and to relax the gluten; it also firms the butter, making the pastry easier to roll. Take it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before you start rolling so it's easier to manage - pastry can crumble and crack if it's too cold.

Stopping pastry from puffing

The pastry needs to be docked or pricked to stop it puffing up during baking, but don't be too vigorous - you don't want to create large holes.

Blind baking

For blind-baking, I use a double layer of foil, because it's durable and you can get it to fit neatly into the sides of the case.

Dried chickpeas are the best baking weights - they're less messy than rice. The key to blind-baking is to cook the pastry thoroughly, until it's evenly golden brown because once you add the filling the pastry won't cook any further. I bake my pastry at a relatively low temperature to ensure it browns evenly from top to bottom.

Patch over any cracks in the pastry case

When the tart case is cooked, remove it from the oven and use thin pieces of pastry trimmings to patch up any cracks, then brush it lightly with egg white to seal it further to prevent any seepage during cooking.

LEMON FILLING TIPS

Remember to :

 Remove the lemon filling from the fridge and hour before baking

Lemon filling preparation: 

filling is best made the day or night before, that way you will get the full effect of the citrusy punch.

Eggs:

Once you have added the sugar to the eggs whisk immediately.  Allowing the sugar to sit on the yolks while doing something else will cause the eggs to cook.

whisking: 

 When whisking use a hand whisk, there is no need to for lots of whisking, just a quick rough whisk to combine ingredients together. 

Avoid spillage

To avoid any spillage in transit, the tart case is best filled when it is safely in the oven

Or 

Half-fill the tart with the filling, then transfer it to the centre rack of the oven before you fill it right to the top .   Or if you’re like me you can ignore this tip and have lemon filling all over your kitchen floor.

Bubbles

For a smooth and shiny appearance, remove all the froth from the lemon filling and once you’ve poured lemon filling into the case, check to see if there are any bubbles, if there are, drag a sheet of paper towel across the top of the tart. This should eliminate any bubbles or foam, ensuring the finished tart will have a lovely mirror shine, or you can skip this part (like I did) and end up with a white, cloudy bubbly appearance on the tart, just like I have .

Lets get started

Begin by making the filling

Filling Ingredients for a 28cm loose bottom round tart tin 

6 eggs

250gcaster sugar

250ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

175ml double/heavy cream

zest of 4 lemons

Filling Ingredients for a 22cm loose bottom round tart tin 

4 eggs

150gcaster sugar

150ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

100ml double/heavy cream

zest of 3 lemons

Method

1.Break the eggs into a bowl, then add the caster sugar, using a hand whisk, whisk immediately.  Just enough to combine the two ingredients and the sugar has slightly dissolved into the eggs.

2.Add the lemon juice and whisk again briefly until the mixture is smooth

3.Add the cream, then the lemon zest and whisk well to eliminate any streaks of cream through the mixture.

4.Cover the filling and rest it in the fridge overnight or a minimum of 4 hours.

Pastry ingredients for 24cm

250 gm plain flour

150 gm unsalted chilled butter, diced

30 gm pure icing sugar, sieved, plus extra (optional) for dusting

Finely grated rind of 1 lemon

1 egg (55gm), lightly whisked

½ tablespoon

Pastry ingredients for 30Cm  

500 gm plain flour

300 gm unsalted chilled butter, diced

30 gm pure icing sugar, sieved, plus extra (optional) for dusting

Finely grated rind of 2 lemon

2 eggs (55gm each), lightly whisked

1 tablespoon cold water

method

1. process flour, butter, icing sugar and lemon rind in a food processor until coarse crumbs form.

2. add egg/s and cold water and pulse until pastry dough forms a ball, Flatten pastry into a disc.  Wrap it in plastic film and chill for 30min.

3. Preheat oven to 175C. Roll pastry out on a lightly floured bench to a roughly round 4cm thick and 35cm wide. Roll dough onto rolling pin and place in a 30cm-diameter, tart tin with a removable base. Press pastry scraps into a ball and use this to press pastry case into the edges of the tin. Lightly prick pastry with a fork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4.Remove both pastry and lemon filling out of the fridge. Set filling aside.

5.Line pastry case with foil or baking paper, fill with chickpeas or ceramic pie weights and blind-bake until pastry is cooked through (35 minutes). Remove chickpeas and foil, reduce oven to 150C and bake until pastry is golden brown and crisp (10-15 minutes).

6.Patch any holes or cracks using small thin pieces of pastry. Lightly whisk egg white and brush sparingly over inside of tart case to seal it further and to prevent any seepage during cooking. Return it to the oven briefly for a couple of minutes and remove from the oven.

7. Pass the Lemon filling through a fine mesh sieve or piece of muslin to remove the lemon zest then spoon off any white froth you can see on the surface. Once you are confident that you have removed all the froth from the lemon filling, give it a final mix.  To avoid spillage, place the tart on the middle rack in the oven and pour it into the tart case. OR half fill the tart with the filling on kitchen bench, then transfer to the centre rack of the oven before you fill it right to the top.

 8. Check to see if there are any bubbles on the surface - if there are, drag a sheet of paper towel across the top of the tart. This should eliminate any bubbles or foam, ensuring the finished tart will have a lovely mirror shine.

 9. Gently close the oven door and bake the tart for 30-35 minutes for the 22 cm tart and 40-45 minutes for the 28 cm tart.

Check and rotate tart halfway through cooking to ensure it cooks evenly.

10. You need to ensure the centre is set but still has a bit of a wobble in the centre.  To avoid over cooking, start checking the tart every 5 minutes at the earlier of the specified times (at 30min or 40min respectively).

 To serve. The tart will need to rest for an hour or two to make it more stable, then remove it from the tin.  Sprinkle with sifted icing sugar or whatever you fancy. I decorated it with passion fruit curd and fresh strawberries. Using a knife with a fine tip and a thin blade will reward you with a smooth cut.

Enjoy

With love and gratitude

Nava