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.

6 COMMENTS

    • Hi Bill! That is a great question! Clear neutral glaze can be made many ways but one of them is listed below:

      Ingredients:

      75g white caster/superfine or granulated sugar
      75g/ml water
      1 sheet of gelatine

      Directions:

      Soak the sheet of gelatine in a good quantity of cold water for about 5 to 10 minutes, till softened.

      Bring the sugar and water to the boil (stir a little at the start) then take off the heat.
      Squeeze the gelatine in your hand to get the excess water out then add to the sugar and water and whisk till it dissolves.

      Pour the glaze into a clean bowl and allow to cool till it becomes slightly gelatinous. Place in the fridge for 5 to 15 minutes. Check and stir it gently occasionally to make sure it doesn’t set too much. You need a lightly jelly-like gloopy mixture you can spread over the top of your tart.

      Once it starts cooling do not whisk the glaze as it will go cloudy. Just stir gently with a plastic spatula or spoon.

      I hope this is helpful! Happy baking!

    • Hi Betty, a sheet of gelatin, also called Leaf Gelatin, works like granular gelatin but in a different form. Gelatin is an odorless, tasteless thickening agent that forms a gel when combined with liquid and heated. I hope this has been helpful 🙂

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