Tarte au Citron

Inspired by Matt Moran's lemon tart in last night's episode of Masterchef, i was in the mood to make my version again.  I have only made it twice before, but have no idea why, as it is utterly divine!  I may be a bit biased though, as i have an unconditional fondness for all things lemony!  

Tarte au Citron


Pastry
120 g butter
2 egg yolks
100 ml icing sugar, sifted
pinch of salt
250 g flour, sifted
30 ml cold water


Filling
4 eggs
250 ml castor sugar
180 ml melted butter
100 ml lemon juice (i include the lemon rind too)
60 ml orange juice


For the pastry, in a food processor, cream the butter before adding the egg yolks.  Add the icing sugar, salt and mix until combined.  Add the flour and then add enough water for the dough to pull together nicely.  Wrap in cling wrap and leave to rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.


Roll the pastry until it is nice and thin.  Press it into your tart tin.  Wrap in cling wrap again (optional) and refrigerate for 15 minutes before baking blind at 160˚C for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.


To prepare the filling:  Using a hand-held beater, beat the eggs and castor sugar for about 1 minute.  Add the butter, citrus juices and blend for 2 more minutes.  Set aside for at least an hour to ensure a smoother, brighter tart, then skim off the foam. (I of course do not have the patience for this, so i just pour my filling through a sieve!)  


Pour the filling into the tart shells and bake at 140˚C for 25-30 minutes or until set.

I made this one for my French tutor's birthday. A little bit of chocolate piping and a few fresh pansies (edible) from the garden to make it special!

Optional: dust lightly with icing sugar and caramelise under the grill for 1-2 minutes before serving.  Sprinkle the tart with raspberries or blueberries or serve just as it is with a dollop of crème frâiche.  Mmmm, sublime!