serves
8
prep
35 minutes
cook
50 minutes
difficulty
Mid
serves
8
people
preparation
35
minutes
cooking
50
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 5 lemons
- 6 eggs
- 300 g caster sugar
- 250 ml (1 cup) double cream
- pure icing sugar, to dust
Sweet shortcrust pastry
- 180 g unsalted butter, chopped, softened
- 2 lemons, rind grated
- 110 g pure icing sugar
- 300 g (2 cups) plain flour
Chilling time 2 hours
Instructions
To make the pastry, mix butter with lemon zest and icing sugar in a large bowl until combined. Add flour and 2 tbsp iced water until mixture forms a soft dough; add more water if necessary.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Shape into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Roll the pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper until large enough to line a 24 cm tart pan with removable base. Press pastry into pan and trim edges. Refrigerate (or freeze) for 1 hour or until very cold.
Cover pastry with baking paper and top with baking weights or rice. Bake for 12 minutes or until starting to colour. Remove paper and weights, reduce oven to 160°C and bake for a further 5 minutes or until base is crisp and golden.
Reduce oven to 120°C. To make filling, zest 3 lemons and combine with eggs and sugar in a bowl. Juice 2 lemons, add to egg mixture and whisk until combined. Whisk in cream and set aside for 1 hour.
Using a spoon, gently skim off froth from surface and discard. Strain mixture, discarding solids and removing any froth, then add zest of remaining 2 lemons.
Pour mixture into tart case and bake for 30 minutes or until centre is just set. (Give it a very gentle bump and watch if it wobbles in the centre.) Cool completely before removing from the pan.
Dust with icing sugar. Using a kitchen blow torch, caramelise the top lightly. Cool completely before serving.
As seen in Feast magazine, Issue 13, pg34.
Photography by Alan Benson
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
