Tart Au Citron

This tart au citron is simply mouth-watering, just thinking about its fresh and tangy taste sets us off! This is best prepared over the weekend so do take your time with this one! 

Ingredients:

For the sweet pastry: 

150g of plain flour plus extra for dusting
75g of cold unsalted butter plus extra for greasing
75g of caster sugar
3 medium egg yolks

For the lemon filling: 

The juice and zest of 3 lemons
3 medium eggs
175g caster sugar
125ml double cream

1 tbsp of organic lemon extract @steenbergsltd 
1 tbsp of icing sugar

Edible flowers, for garnish 

Method:

Blind Baking temp: 190°C/Gas 5
Lemon tart temp: 150°C/Gas 2

1. Start off by making the pastry by preheating the oven and rubbing some butter around the inside of a 23cm/9” tart dish.
2. Put the flour into a mixing bowl and chop the cold butter into small cubes and add them to the bowl.
3. Using a fork or pastry blender work the flour and butter cubes together until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
4. Add the egg yolks and stir well.
5. Using your hands gather the mix together to form a smooth ball of pastry dough. Dust the work surface with flour, put the dough in the middle, and sprinkle it with flour. Roll out the pastry into a circle 5cm/2” larger than your dish and lift it into the dish, OR simply press it into the baking dish using your fingers. Cut away any pastry that hangs over the edge of the dish. Prick the pastry all over with a fork.
6. Lay a large piece of parchment paper over the raw pastry, making sure all the edges are covered.
7. Scatter ceramic baking beans (or rice or flour) over the parchment paper, spreading them all over the surface, and bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully lift the parchment paper and contents off the pastry. Return the pastry to the oven and cook for a further 4-5 minutes without browning too much. Take the dish out of the oven and gently remove the warm pastry case out of the dish and leave it to cool.
8. Now start the filling by reducing the oven temperature to 150°C, Fan 130°C, 300°F, Gas 2. Squeeze the juice from the lemons and break the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat them together. Add the caster sugar and lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon extract and whisk until well combined. Stir in the cream. Pour the mixture through a sieve into the pastry case. Bake for 25-28 minutes. The filling should be just wobbly and will set as the tart cools. Garnish with your edible flowers and enjoy!!