Lemon Curd Tart

Something I love to cook and eat on a gloomy day- lemon curd tart! It always brings a little bit of sunshine my way. This recipe makes enough for an 8 or 9 inch tart tin. 

For the short crust pastry:

Ingredients:

1. 100 g flour
2. 12 g caster sugar
3. 50 g butter (frozen and cut into cubes)
4. 1/4 tsp baking powder
5. 3 tbsp ice water

Method:

1. Sieve the flour, baking powder and sugar. 
2. Rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles bread crumbs.
3. Add the ice water and bring the dough together. 
4. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
5. Roll out the dough into a disk about 1/8th of an inch thick.
6. Place into tart tin. Put the tin into the freezer till the dough has frozen and is hard to touch. 
7. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Additional tips:

Get a perfect crust every time!

1. Do not knead the dough! Just add enough water so the dough comes together. 
2. Do not trim the edges of the pastry before putting it into the oven. Pastry tends to shrink as it bakes and might pull down from the edges. 
3. A foolproof way to make sure your pastry doesn't puff up is to freeze it after placing it in the tart tin. No need to blind bake it, and you'll still get the perfect crust.  
4. Using a pastry brush, brush some egg inside the pastry before baking. This creates a barrier between the pastry and your filling, preventing you crust from becoming soggy. 

For the lemon curd:

Ingredients:

1. 75 g cornflour
2. 210 g caster sugar
3. 125 ml lemon juice
4. 310 ml water
5. 2 tsp lemon rind
6. 3 egg yolks
7. 60 g unsalted butter

Method:

1. Add the cornflour, caster sugar, lemon juice and water into a sauce pan and stir well. 
2. Using a whisk, continuously stir it over a mow heat. Make sure to watch the mixture as it will thicken up very quickly.
3. Turn off the heat when the mixture becomes translucent and is the texture of thick glue. 
4. Add in the butter and whisk well. 
5. Next, add in the egg yolks and whisk quickly so the mixture doesn't curdle. Add in the lemon rind as well. 
6. Place cling film on the lemon curd, making sure it touches the surface. This prevents a layer from forming on top. 
7. When both tart crust and lemon curd are cool, tip the curd into the shell and smooth the top. 
8. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to set it.