Lemon Tart

On monday's we all get together and have family dinner. For a treat after dinner I baked a lemon tart from 'The little veggie patch co's guide to backyard farming' which not only has really handy gardening tips but some delicious recipes including this one:

Pastry:

300 g (2 cups) Plain flour

150 g butter, softened and diced

pinch of salt

1 Egg

55 g (1/4 cup) caster sugar

Filling:

4 Eggs

185 ml (3/4 cup) thickened cream

150 g (2/3 cup) caster sugar

grated lemon zest of 2 lemons

100 ml lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius

To make the pastry, place the flour, butter and salt in a bowl and rub together until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Break the egg into a separate bowl, add the caster sugar and beat lightly. Add to the flour and butter, and mix until the dough comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Grease a 25 cm flan tin. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured board to 3 mm thick. Line the tin with the pastry, pushing it down into the corners. Use a small knife to trim off any excess. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling by beating together the eggs, cream, sugar, lemon zest and juice. Allow to stand for 30 minutes.

Line the pastry base with greaseproof paper and add pastry weights, baking beans or rice. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and weights, and bake for another 5 minutes, or until very lightly golden. 

Reduce the oven temperature to 140 degrees celsius. Strain the filling into the pastry shell, removing the zest. Cook for 30 - 40 minutes or until the filling has just set and the pastry is golden. Allow it to cool completely before removing from the tin.

Serves 8