Serve this lemon tart with vanilla cream.
Serve this lemon tart with vanilla cream.William Meppem
Time:2 hours +Serves:8-10

A classic lemon tart doesn’t need much “tarting up” at all. Keep it simple.

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Ingredients

  • 5 eggs

  • 125g caster sugar

  • 150ml thickened cream

  • zest and juice from 2 lemons (about 100ml juice and 2 tbsp lemon zest)

WHIPPED VANILLA CREAM

  • 300ml thickened cream

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

SWEET SHORTCRUST (see tip)

  • 250g plain flour,plus extra for dusting

  • 60g icing sugar mixture

  • 125g unsalted butter,cubed

  • 1 egg yolk

Method

  1. Step1

    For the sweet shortcrust, pulse the flour and icing sugar mixture in a food processor with the butter until it forms breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk (and a tablespoon or two of iced water,if needed) and pulse until the pastry comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes while you make the filling and whip the cream.

  2. Step2

    For the whipped vanilla cream, whip the cream and vanilla together to soft peaks,then chill the cream to set it.

  3. Step3

    Whisk the eggs,sugar and cream together in a stirring motion,trying not to incorporate too much air into the mixture. Whisk the lemon juice through,then pass the mixture through a sieve to remove any clumps of egg. Stir the zest through the mixture.

  4. Step4

    Heat your oven to 140C fan-forced (160C conventional). Take the pastry out of the fridge and roll it to about 3mm thickness. Lay the pastry into a 23cm fluted tart tin and press firmly around the sides. Dock the pastry by pricking the base a few times with a fork. Trim any excess,then chill in the fridge for a further 15 minutes.

  5. Step5

    Remove the pastry from the fridge,place a piece of baking paper on top and fill with pastry weights. Blind bake for 15 minutes then remove the paper and weights.

  6. Step6

    Pour the lemon filling into the tart and bake for 30-40 minutes until the filling is barely set (it should jiggle a little at the centre when the tin is tapped).

  7. Step7

    Remove from the oven,let it cool to room temperature,then chill in the fridge. Serve with the vanilla cream.

Adam’s tip:The classic recipe for a shortcrust is “half and half and half”. That is,whatever the weight of flour,use half that amount of butter,then half that weight again of sugar.

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