Classic Lemon Tart
Photography Josh Griggs.
This has long been my ultimate go-to tart – simple perfection.
Serves: 8-10
INGREDIENTS
Pastry
110 grams cold butter, chopped
11/3 cups plain flour
1/3 cup icing sugar
finely grated zest 1 lemon
1 egg yolk, size 7
1-2 teaspoons iced water
oil spray
Filling
4 large eggs size 7
1 egg yolk, size 7
¾ cup caster sugar
250ml cream
250ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
Equipment: 25cm removable-base tart tin.
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180°C regular bake.
Pastry: Put the butter in a food processor with the flour, sugar and zest. Pulse to combine then add the egg yolk and 1 teaspoon of the iced water. Pulse until the mixture forms clumpy breadcrumbs and starts coming together, adding the remaining water only if necessary. Tip out onto a clean bench and squash together into a pastry disc. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Remove the pastry from the fridge, let it sit for 5 minutes then roll out on a lightly floured surface until it is 5cm bigger than the tart tin. Spray the tin very lightly with oil and use a kitchen towel to wipe off any excess. Use a fish slice (I use a thin metal pizza paddle) to slip it off the bench and into the tin. Press firmly into the base and sides and prick the base lightly with a fork. Pop in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Filling: Whisk the eggs, yolk, sugar and cream together. Don’t whisk too hard or you will make it foamy and bubbly;
gently does it.
Put a large circle of baking paper into the pastry base and fill with baking beans, weights or rice. Cook for 12 minutes, remove the paper and weights and cook for a further 10 minutes. Put the tart base on a baking tray and place back in the oven.
Stir the lemon juice into the filling, pour it through a sieve into a jug and carefully pour straight into the base in the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C and bake for 25-30 minutes until the filling is just set, but still with a bit of wobble in the middle.
Cool in the tin before removing to serve to your very lucky guests!
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latest issue:
126
We start by sharing what’s on the dish team’s radar, what we’re watching, listening to and reading. Harry Butterfield puts a twist on his Nonna’s agnolotti, Malissa Fedele reminds us of the importance of fibre, and Phoebe Holden fulfils a long-held dream, sitting down with Yotam Ottolenghi. Autumn is an abundant time, we make the most with pumpkin, kūmara, cabbage, cauliflower, feijoas, apples and pears. We’re dishing up dinners for two, including a Chicken Dumpling Lasagne, alongside easy weeknight meals. We honour our mums, revisit timeless classics, and add a little baking challenge. This issue, we encourage you to slow down, to enjoy writing your shopping list, and spending time in the kitchen. Because even when life feels relentless, there’s always space to share something delicious.



