Lemon tart

The ideal picnic pud for a summer’s day.

Serves: 6
Active time: 1 hour
Freezing time: 20 minutes
Chilling time: 2 hours
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Storage: Up to 2 days in the refrigerator

Ingredients

For the sweet short pastry

• 3 tbsp (1.75 oz/50g) butter, diced, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup (1.75 oz/50g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 2 tbsp (1 oz/30g) lightly beaten egg (about 1 egg)
• 1/8 tsp (0.5g) salt
• 1 cup (4.5 oz/125g) flour, sifted

For the lemon cream

• ⅔ cup (150ml) fresh lemon juice
• ⅔ cup (5.25 oz/150g) lightly beaten egg (about 3 eggs)
• Scant ⅔ cup (4.25 oz/120g) sugar
• 1½ sheets (0.1 oz/3g) gelatin
• 5 tbsp (2.5 oz/75g) butter, softened

For the glaze

• Clear neutral glaze

Directions

For the sweet short pastry

1Whisk the butter in a mixing bowl until soft and creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Combine the egg and salt and whisk into the mixture. Whisk in the flour. Turn out the dough onto the work surface and finish combining the ingredients, using your hand and a pastry scraper, until you have a smooth dough.

2Shape into a flat disk, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

For the crust

1Line the tart ring with the dough and freeze it for about 20 minutes to prevent the sides collapsing when the crust is baked. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C/ Gas mark 3). Blind bake the crust for 15-20 minutes until golden.

2Allow to cool and then, using the zester, file down the edges of the pastry so the rim is perfectly smooth.

For the lemon cream

1Put the lemon juice, eggs, and sugar in a heatproof mixing bowl and stand the bowl over a pan of hot water. Whisk continuously until the mixture has thickened. Meanwhile, soak the gelatin sheets in a bowl of cold water. When the lemon mixture reaches 140°F (60°C), remove it from the heat.

2Squeeze the water from the gelatin sheets and stir them in until dissolved. Stir in the softened butter and process with the stick blender until smooth.

Assembling the tart

1Pour the lemon cream into the tart crust, filling it to the rim. Smooth the top with a spatula or palette knife and leave to set. Brush the warmed glaze over the top.

CHEF’S NOTE

To ensure the base of the tart crust stays crisp, you can “waterproof” it with a little melted white chocolate or, better still, cacao butter. Simply brush the inside of the cooled crust with the chocolate or cacao butter and leave to set before pouring in the lemon cream.