Lemon tart

IIt's challenging to resist a lemon tart - the crispness of the pastry combined with the tang and smoothness of the filling make this a real winner! However, there are countless horror stories told by home cooks concerning the making of this French classic. About 20 years ago, I experienced one of those moments myself while using standard shortcrust pastry. I had promised to make a lemon tart for my mother-in-law's birthday celebrations. Having followed the recipe, I popped the tart into the oven and settled down for a relaxing cup of tea. Then I began to smell something burning. To my horror, a thick, sticky, yellow ooze was leaking from my wall oven and trickling down the cupboards. Closer inspection of the oven revealed a substantial layer of caramelising lemon custard in the bottom and nearly none left in the now-charred pastry case. What had gone wrong?

The initial problem lay with the pastry case. It's crucial to ensure there are no cracks in the case. To facilitate this, gently use a small ball of the pastry to ease the pastry into the bottom of the tin. This prevents you from accidentally tearing the pastry with your fingertips. Should you notice fine cracks in the pastry shell after baking it, brush a little egg white over the area and "glue" a thin piece of pastry over the crack. This effectively halts any leaks. 

Blind baking the crust guarantees a crisp tart shell. To quote Mary Berry from the Great British Bake Off, "Nobody likes a soggy bottom!". To blind bake, you will require a method to weigh down the pastry base. If you don't have ceramic beads, dried chickpeas or uncooked rice will do the job just as well. Another key step is to chill the pastry tin before you blind bake it. This helps to prevent shrinkage and ensures that your filling won't overflow the top of the tin. You can trim the pastry before starting the blind bake if you wish. I prefer to leave the rustic edges, allowing a little room for shrinkage.

To see how to make this wonderful dish, check out my YouTube video at the link at the end of this post

Makes  8 individual or 1 large

Shortcrust pastry
• 180 g unsalted butter cut into cubes
• 240 g plain flour (gf)
• 125 ml cold water

Filling
• 6 eggs
• 250 g castor sugar
• Grated zest and juice of 3 lemons
• 200 ml cream

Pastry
Place flour and butter into food processor and pulse until butter is only in small chunks throughout the flour.
Slowly add the water until the pastry forms a ball.
Place on a pastry sheet and knead gently till smooth. press into a flat cake, wrap in plastic film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200°C fan/220°C.
Roll out pastry to fit your tin(s) leaving a little overhang on the edges. Use a ball of trimmings to push the pastry into the sides on the tin. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Blind bake for 15 minutes (large tin) or 10 minutes (individual tins).
Remove blind baking beads and then bake for another 5 minutes.
Note if you have any fine cracks - Patch with thin pieces of pastry trimmings, and then brush with egg wash to seal, then place back into the oven for a further 5 minutes.
Allow the cases to cool.
Turn oven down to 160°C fan/180 °C

Filling
Combine eggs and sugar until well combined. Add juice and stir well. Strain.
Add zest and cream and mix well.
Half fill with filling, then place on the oven rack before fully filling. This eliminates spills getting it into the oven.
Bake for 45 minutes (large) or 30 minutes (individuals). Cook till set but with a slight wobble.
Let it cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes.


Serve dusted with icing sugar and some whipped cream.

Updated July 2023