Lemon or Lime Tart

Lemon or Lime Tart

Serves: 6–8
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

Pastry
1¼ cups (7 oz) plain flour
½ cup (3 oz) icing sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
1 egg
1 tablespoon cold water (optional)

Filling
4 eggs
1/3 cup (2½ oz) caster sugar
1¼ cup (10¼ fl oz)) cream
juice of 2–3 lemons or limes
icing sugar
whipped or thick cream, to serve

Method:

1. For the pastry, put the flour and icing sugar in a foodprocessor and combine for a few seconds. Add the butterand process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
   Add the egg. Process, stopping as soon as the dough forms into balls and clings around blade. If this doesn’t happen, add a little chilled water until it does. Remove, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour;t he pastry can be left overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, Gas Mark 6).
3. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured board and line a high-sided flan tin approximately 26cm (10 in) across. Press the pastry gently into the tin and use a rolling pin to trim the excess from the perimeter. Prick all over, including the sides, with a fork. Place in the freezer for at least 15minutes or until frozen (again, overnight is fine). Cook in the oven for 10–15 minutes until it is golden brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 170°C (345°F, Gas Mark 2–3).
4. To make the filling, beat the eggs and caster sugar together until pale. Pour in the cream and, finally, the juice. Pour immediately into the prepared pastry base and bake until it is just set, about 25-30 minutes. Cool. Dust with icing sugar and serve with whipped or thick cream.

Lyndey’s Note: Pricking and freezing the pastry is a shortcut to blind baking where normally baking paper is put over the pastry in the tin, weighted down with beans or rice, and then baked in the oven for about 10 mins before the paper and weights are removed for a final 5 minutes or so of baking. Either method is necessary to ensure a crisp based tart.

Wine: These lovely lemon flavours are best with a wine with some sweet citrus flavours like a late-picked or cordon-cut riesling.
Related Recipe: Yummy Lemon Pudding