1
Lemon Tart
This timeless recipe was given to me by a friend, Ka, and I adore it. It’s really light and creamy, and not quite
as heavy and intense as many other lemon tarts, yet still wonderfully fresh and zesty.
serves 4–6
vegetarian
for the pastry
175g (6oz) flour
Pinch of salt
100g (4oz) butter (from the fridge)
25g (1oz) caster sugar
1 egg, divided and the white lightly whisked
for the filling
3 eggs
125g (4
1
/
2
oz) granulated sugar
Juice andfinely grated zest of 2 lemons
100ml (4fl oz) double cream to serve
Icing sugar
1 First, make the pastry, which can be done a day in advance of filling and serving. Sieve the flour and
salt into a large bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub into the flour until the mixture is like
crumbs. Add the sugar and gently mix in with a fork. Drizzle in the egg yolk and lightly stir it into the
mixture with a knife until the mixture sticks. If the mixture does not come together, add 1–2 teaspoons
of water. Roll out the pastry into a round about 2cm (
3
/
4
in) thick, then cover and chill for at least 45
minutes in the fridge.
2 Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F), Gas mark 5. Grease a 23cm (9in) shallow tart tin with a removable
base with a little butter.
3 When you are ready to roll out the pastry, remove it from the fridge. Place the pastry between two
sheets of cling film, which should be larger than your tart tin. Using a rolling pin, roll out the pastry until
it’s about 3mm (
1
/
8
in) thick and large enough to line the base and sides of the prepared tin. Make sure to
keep it round, if the tin is round, and large enough to line the base and sides of the tin. Remove the top
layer of cling film and place the pastry upside down (cling film side facing up) in the tart tin. Press into
the edges, cling film still attached and, using your thumb, ‘cut’ the pastry on the edge of the tin to give a
neat finish. Remove the cling film and pop the pastry in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.
4 Next, ‘blind bake’ the pastry case. Blind baking is a way of partially cooking a pastry case before adding
its filling. Line the pastry with greaseproof paper when cold (leaving plenty to come up the sides), fill
with baking beans or dried pulses (you can use these over and over), and bake for 15–20 minutes in the
oven, until the pastry feels dry. Remove the paper and beans, brush with a little egg white and return to
the oven for 2 minutes. Take out of the oven and put to one side while you prepare the filling.
5 Lower the heat (or heat to this temperature if filling the case the next day) to 120°C (250°F), Gas mark
1/2.
6 To make the filling, place the eggs and sugar in a medium-sized bowl and, using an electric hand mixer,
whisk until pale and creamy (about 10 minutes). You can also do this in a food processor. Add the
lemon juice and zest and mix for another 5 minutes, then pour in the cream and mix for a further 5
minutes. Carefully pour the filling into the cooked pastry case in the tin, so it does not spill. Return to
the oven and bake for 25–35 minutes or until the filling has just set in the centre.
7 Remove from the oven, allow to cool for about 10 minutes before removing the tart from the tin and
transferring to a plate or cake stand. When it’s cool, dredge icing sugar over the top, and cut into slices
to serve.