Serves: 12 to 24 mini tarts or 1 large 23cm tart
Prep/Cook Time: 1 hour plus cooling
Ingredients:
- 1 x 435g pack Carême Sweet Vanilla Shortcrust, defrosted
- 155ml lemon juice + zest of one lemon
- 3 eggs
- 1 yolk
- 170g sugar
- 225g unsalted butter cut into 2cm cubes
- Cream for decor
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180c fan-forced (200c non-fan).
- Unroll sheet of pastry, dust with flour then cut 12 circles using an 8cm pastry cutter. If you re-roll the trim you will get another 12 circles.
- Line tart tin with the pastry circles. Place the second tin on top, this acts a weight, place on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes until pastry is golden. Carefully remove top tin and if not golden on base of tart return to oven for 5 minutes. Leave to cool before removing shells from tin.
- Before you begin the lemon cream fill a medium sized saucepan with about 5cm water and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile whisk the lemon juice, eggs, yolk and sugar together in a bowl. Place the bowl over the saucepan of simmering water and continue to whisk for 12 to 15 minutes or until thick and your whisk leaves a trail through the curd.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool, leave for 10 minutes, occasionally stir to release heat. Don’t let it go cold.
- Using a hand blender add the butter in five batches blending until fully incorporated, do not add all the butter at once. Lastly beat in the lemon zest. Transfer the lemon cream to a bowl and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours. When ready to serve, spoon the lemon cream into the tart shells and top with a dollop of cream. Left over lemon cream can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, beat with a wooden spoon before serving to restore creamy texture.