Lemon Tart

There must be something in the air, Suddenly lemon tarts and puddings are the rage. Two delicious sounding recipes by Rachel Roddy were published in Saturday’s Guardian but I had already decided which lemon tart to make for Sunday’s dinner. Really there could be no competition when Jane Grigson writes in her Fruit Book, ‘this is the best lemon tart I know’. I made my own version of a sweet crust pastry as I know it works for me. I also used the liquid from simmering the lemon slices in place of water to give the syrup an intensive flavour.

One and a half lemon and juicer painting by Carrie Hill for The Allotment Kitchen book by author Susan Williamson PASTRY
200g plain four
100g very cold butter
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 egg yolk
Pinch of salt

Put all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and lightly mix together to form a breadcrumb consistency. Beat the egg yolk in a small bowl with a teaspoon or two of water and mix into the pastry to form a dough. Wrap in clingfilm and store in the fridge for an hour or so.
Half lemon painting by Carrie Hill for The Allotment Kitchen book by author Susan Williamson FILLING
2 large eggs
100g caster sugar
150g ground almonds
100ml whipping cream
Grated zest of four unwaxed lemons
Juice of two lemons

Beat together all the ingredients.

Roll the pastry out thinly to line a 20-22cm tart tin. Pour the filling into the pastry, tidy the edges of the tart,and bake in a medium oven for about 25 minutes until ‘nicely cooked and browned’.
Whole lemon painting by Carrie Hill for The Allotment Kitchen book by author Susan Williamson
SYRUP TOPPING
2 unwaxed lemons
Juice of the two lemons not used for the filling
200g granulated sugar

Slice the whole lemons very thinly (discarding any pips). Put in a pan, cover with water and the juice from the two remaining zested lemons. Simmer gently for about 15 minutes until the peel is soft. Strain the lemon slices, preserving the liquid.

To make the syrup, in a shallow pan dissolve the granulated sugar in 100ml of the strained lemon liquid. When it is clear, bring it to boiling point and then let it simmer gently for two to three minutes. Add the lemon slices and cook for another 15 minutes until the slices are candied.

Arrange the slices over the tart. Check the consistency of the syrup. It may already be thick enough to brush over the top of the tart. If not, boil it down a little further before using.

This tart is delicious hot or cold, with or without cream.