Lemon Tart
250ml pure cream
25g icing sugar
edible flowers & micro basil, to garnish
Pastry
175g plain flour
100g cold unsalted butter, diced
2 tbs caster sugar
¼ tsp fine salt
1 egg yolk
1 tbs cold water
Filling
8 egg yolks
330g caster sugar
1 tbs finely grated lemon zest
200ml fresh lemon juice
200ml cream
For pastry, place all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the dough just comes together. Turn out onto a floured bench and roll out to 2mm thick. Line a 22cm tart.tin with the pastry and trim off the edges neatly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to 12 hours.
Preheat oven to 160°C Fan.
Line the pastry with baking paper and fill with pastry weights or beans. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove baking paper and weights and return to oven for a further 10 minutes, or until lightly golden and the base is cooked.
Meanwhile, whisk together the yolks, caster sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice until combined. Stir through the cream and allow to sit in the fridge for 15 minutes to infuse. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into the tart shell, skimming any bubbles or froth off the surface. Reduce oven to 120°C Fan. Bake for 40 minutes, until just set with the middle of the tart still wobbly (it will firm up as it sets). Place in the fridge to cool completely in the tart tin for at least 3 hours until completely set.
To serve, unmould tart and place onto serving plate. Whisk together cream and icing sugar until semi-firm peaks. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe small circles of cream around the edge of the tart. Garnish with yellow edible flowers and micro basil.
Recipe, Food Styling and Photography by Karen McFarlane, foodlove.com.au