The weather here has been grey, wet and cooler than our usual Spring. We were in Paris for a week and it either rained or was overcast with periods of rain showers throughout the day. We came home and had a repeat of Paris weather. It’s been so wet mushrooms are sprouting up in our lawn so when patches of blue sky poked through the clouds this morning, I was elated.  A bit of yellow to brighten up my mood came in the form of food.  This lemon tart reminded me of how we all need a bit of colour injected into our lives; it helps to make us feel good.  Our senses are heightened when a dash of colour shows up in food and we eat with our eyes first thus telling our taste buds what to expect.  When I mentioned to Mr S. I thought I’d make a lemon tart, his eyes lit up.  This recipe is easy and the taste factor is guaranteed to place a smile on your face.

Serves 10
shortcrust pastry for 10-inch loose-bottom tart tin (1 1/2-inches deep)
6 eggs
3 lemons
1 cup castor sugar
2/3 cup cream

Roll pastry out and line a lightly greased tart tin. Use a fork to prick the base and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400f (200c).  Line pastry with crumbled parchment paper (do NOT use wax paper) and cover with a thin line of pie weights or baking beans.  Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until pastry edge is golden.  Remove paper and weights and return to oven to bake a further 4 minutes.  Remove from oven and place baked shell on a cookie sheet.

To make the filling, finely grate the zest from 2 lemons and squeeze enough juice to give you 3/4 cup.  In a large bowl add lemon zest, eggs, and sugar and beat until light but not frothy.  Stir in lemon juice and cream.

Pull oven rack out halfway, place baked shell on the rack, and pour filling into baked shell.  Gingerly slide the rack back in – the filling will be right to the top of the pastry edge.  Reduce oven temperature to 250f (120c) and bake 40 to 45 minutes until just set.  It may seem a bit wobbly but will firm up when cool.

The Culinary Chase’s Note:  My tart tin is 9-inches and only 1-inch deep and as a result I had some filling left over.  I warmed up the lemon filling and added 1 tablespoon of butter.  Stir until thick and use this lemon curd butter spread over toast, on ice cream, dotted on pavlova.  Enjoy!