Craving for Summer

So, I did a thing the other day. I had this huge craving for something sweet and something citrusy, and thought, hmmm, I don’t remember having made a lemon curd-based dessert before.

A lemon meringue is undoubtedly the most common type of lemon curd-based dessert but I was not about to fight with the egg whites on this one. The technical aspects of baking and getting temperatures and ingredients to work in harmony to produce a lovely delicacy are risky.

Anyway, this particular challenge was tricky in two parts. Firstly, the crust. Getting the crust just right in order to produce the perfect container for the curd was paramount. I had two options: go for a conventional pie dough or try the crushed biscuits and butter thing that seems to be popular among many.

Pie dough from scratch is too intimidating for most, so I thought, why not tackle it. I, however, was not going to just whimsically attempt it from thin air, so I had to make reference to what Auntie Google had to offer.

I wasn’t happy with some of the recipes I saw, so I mixed and matched and I must say, I was impressed. The base was solid buttery and held its own quite well.

The second challenge was the curd. You see, it involves pouring hot lemon juice into eggs and egg yolks, which, if done wrong, would leave you with lemon flavoured scrambled eggs.

Patience and focus are paramount, and since I don’t have the luxury of owning a kitchen aid or mixer at the moment, it was all elbow grease. And yes, it still can be done. The trick is to whisk vigorously while pouring slowly to avoid a scramble. Balancing the right amount of citrus and sugar is also important as you don’t want to end up with something too tart or too sweet.

Pro tip: No one will shame you for using store bought pastry. It makes life easier – just make sure it’s the good stuff.

So, check out the recipe below, give it a shot and enjoy summer flavours at the tail end of winter.

Lemon Tart

Ingredients

For the Crust:

150 grams flour

1 egg yolk

½ cup cold butter cut into small pieces

¼ cup castor sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon fresh cream

Curd:

4 eggs

2 yolks

Zest of 2 lemons

1 cup castor sugar

½ cup butter

½ cup fresh lemon juice (juice of two lemons)

Method

Crust:

1. Whisk egg yolk and cream in a small bowl and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar. Add the cubed butter and work it in with your hands until the mixture is crumbly with pea-sized butter pieces.
3. Drizzle in the yolk mixture and mix with a fork or knife.
4. Transfer the dough onto plastic wrap, press and fold together, shape into a disk, wrap and chill for an hour.
5. Roll the dough into a circle and transfer it to a 9- or 10-inch tart pan with a removable base. Press into the pan and trim the edges. Freeze for about 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 195°C. Bake for about 20 minutes until light golden, then reduce the oven temperature to 180°C. Prepare the curd while the shell bakes.

Curd:

1. Whisk together the eggs and yolks and set aside.
2. In a medium pot, combine zest, juice, butter and sugar. Heat over medium, stirring often until butter melts and mixture starts to bubble.
3. Remove from heat and slowly whisk into the egg mixture. Do not stop whisking as you pour or the eggs will scramble.
4. Pour back into the pot and heat on low, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble. The curd is ready when it coats the back of a spoon.
5. Strain into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Pour the curd into the tart shell, smooth the surface, and bake for 10 minutes or until the edge is set.
6. Refrigerate for two hours before serving with some whipped cream and candied lemon slices on top.