Tarte au citron

Tarte au citron is a traditional French dessert.  It is a sharp and refreshing dish that sits well towards the end of a meal.  The lemon flavour comes though extremely strongly.  Absolutely delicious.

Preparation Time: 15 Mins

Cooking Time: 50 Mins

Total Time: 65 Mins

Ingredients

For the pastry

230 gms          Flour        

140 gms          Butter  - cut into chunks         

2                    Egg yolks   

60 gms            Sugar  - icing          

1 pinch            Salt          

For the filling

2                    Lemons  - juice and grated rind of         

4                    Eggs        

170 gms          Sugar  - caster        

140 ml             Cream  - double      

For the glazed lemons

110 gms          Sugar  - granulated   

210 ml             Water       

2                    Lemons  - each sliced into 10   

Method

To make the pastry…

Put all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until reduced to very fine moist crumbs.  Turn into a bowl and knead together into a dough.  Flatten, cover with foil and chill for at least 30 minutes.  Then roll out to fit a flan tin (25 cm in diameter) and prick the base.  Lay a piece of foil over the pastry, then carefully mould into its shape.

Bake the pastry covered with the foil at 190°C for 10 minutes, then remove the foil, carefully re-prick the base of the pastry and then dry off for a further 10 minutes at the same temperature.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

To complete the tarte…

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

To make the filling, mix the lemon juice and rind together.  Whisk the eggs and sugar until slightly thickened (do not overbeat or the texture of the custard will be holey).  Whisk the cream until it hangs on the whisk.  Fold the cream into the egg mixture followed by the lemon juice and rind.  Pour in this filling into the pastry case (still in its tin).  Put into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until firm

round the edges (though the middle may stay a little soft).  Leave on a cooling tray until cool and then

refrigerate for several hours.

To make the glazed lemons…

Dissolve the sugar in the water in a large frying pan then lay the lemon slices in the syrup side by side and simmer uncovered (turning them occasionally) until they are softened and glazed and the syrup is beginning to froth.  Do not let the syrup turn colour or the fresh lemon flavour will be lost.  Allow to cool.

To serve, remove the sides of the tarte tin and place the tarte on a serving dish, then sprinkle thickly with icing sugar. Serve in sections, each garnished with 2 of the glazed lemon slices.

Wine recommendations

A sweet but sharp wine is best.

Conventional

     Beaumes de Venise

     Monbazillac

Interesting

     Coteau du Layon

     Pineau des Charentes blanc

Adventurous

     Moscatel Sherry