Lemon Tart

Serves: 8–10

This is a wonderful dessert to serve at a dinner party — it can be made ahead of time (even the day before), so there’s no last-minute stress. After a rich meal, it’s lovely to finish with something that is both sweet and refreshing, and this tart is exactly that.

A note on gelatine:
Gelatine can be a little tricky, as brands and strengths vary. This recipe was developed using a titanium-strength gelatine leaf measuring 23cm x 7cm. If you’re using a smaller variety — such as McKenzie’s brand found in many supermarkets — note that their leaves are roughly half the size, so you will need to use four.

Ingredients

Pastry

• 1 tbsp caster sugar

• 65ml cold water

• 1 tsp vinegar

• 250g plain flour

• 1 tsp salt

• 150g butter, cut into 1cm cubes

Lemon Filling

• 345g caster sugar

• 9 eggs

• 320ml lemon juice

• 3 tbsp lemon zest

• Good pinch of salt

• 320g unsalted butter, cut into 1cm cubes

• 2 sheets of gelatine (see note above)

Method

Make the pastry
1. Place the sugar, water, and vinegar into a small bowl and stir to partially dissolve the sugar.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Rub in the butter using your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
3. Tip the mixture onto your workbench. Stir the sugar-water mixture again to fully dissolve the sugar, then drizzle it over the flour mixture.
4. Using the palms of your hands, gently smear and press the dough together until it forms a cohesive mixture. Shape into a flat disc, wrap, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roll out the pastry and line a 24cm tart tin.
6. Line the pastry with baking paper, fill with baking weights or rice, and blind bake for 20 minutes. Remove the paper and weights, then bake for a further 15–20 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Make the lemon filling
7. In a large heatproof bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Place the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water (making sure the base doesn’t touch the water) and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and reaches 75°C.
8. While the lemon mixture is cooking, soak the gelatine leaf in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Squeeze out any excess water.
9. Once the lemon mixture has reached temperature, add the softened gelatine and stir until dissolved.
10. Stir in the salt, then slowly whisk in the butter, a few cubes at a time, until fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth and glossy.
11. Strain through a fine sieve into the cooled pastry case.
12. Place in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or until set.