Name: Silky lemon tart
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 sheet sweet shortcrust ready-rolled pastry; 5 eggs; 220 gram caster sugar; 3 lemons, juice (should yield 150ml of juice); 150 millilitre cream; 2 lemons, zest; icing sugar; cream or crème fraîche, to serve

Silky lemon tart

Citrus tarts are a favourite with many, and my mum’s made her own version of Australian cook Stephanie Alexander’s tart recipe for years. It’s insanely silky and light as a feather.

Serves 8

Makes 24 centimetre

Prep

25M

Cook

Total

1H 25M

Ingredients

1 sheet sweet shortcrust ready-rolled pastry

5 eggs

220 gram caster sugar

3 lemons, juice (should yield 150ml of juice)

150 millilitre cream

2 lemons, zest

icing sugar

cream or crème fraîche, to serve

Method

1.Preheat oven to 200°C. Pop an oven tray in to heat.

2.Roll pastry slightly thinner than it comes and line a 24cm loose-bottomed flan tin with the pastry. With your fingers, mould it into the fluted edges and leave some overhang. Place in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

3.Remove, prick the base with a fork and place on the heated oven tray to cook for 12-15 minutes, when it should be beginning to colour. Make your filling while it cooks.

4.Beat together the eggs and sugar, then add the juice and lastly the cream.

5.When the pastry case is cooked, remove any excess pastry overhang, tidy up and reduce heat to 160°C.

6.Place back on the oven rack and pour the filling into the pastry case, filling it right to the top before gently sliding back into the oven.

7.Bake for 35-45 minutes until almost set – it should be firm 3cm in around the edge but still wobbly in the middle.

8.Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes before easing the ring away from the still-warm pastry sides (but leave it on), then cool completely for 30 minutes before removing from the tin.

9.Sprinkle with lemon zest and dust with icing sugar. Serve with cream or crème fraîche.