Tarte Au Citron

Recipe courtesy of Clarence Court

A light, lemony and luscious spring sweet, the classic tarte au citron.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

Filling:

5 Clarence Court Burford Brown eggs
175g golden caster sugar
100ml fresh lemon juice plus the zest of 2 lemons

150ml double cream

Pastry:

200g plain flour

20g ground almonds

110g unsalted butter, chilled and diced

Pinch of salt

75g icing sugar

2 egg yolks (1 egg yolk if using AGA instructions)

1 tablespoon cold milk

Method:

Start by making the pastry. Add the flour, ground almonds and butter with a pinch of salt to the food processor. Pulse a few times until you get breadcrumbs. Sieve in the icing sugar and pulse a couple more times. Add 1 egg yolk and a tablespoon of milk then pulse again until you get a wet sandy mix. You may need to add a little more milk.

Turn out on to a clean work surface lightly floured with a little icing sugar and shape into a pastry disc. Wrap the disc in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Take a 23cm  loose bottom tart tin. Place the pastry onto a sheet of greaseproof paper dusted in a little icing sugar. Carefully roll the pastry to fit the tin. Roll the pastry sheet loosely with a rolling pin and drape over the tart tin. Carefully press the pastry into the tin using a little ball of pastry to push it into the tin and up the sides. Trim most of the overhang from the tin. Press the pastry up the sides again a little more to allow for shrinkage. Prick the base all over with a fork and place in the fridge to chill for a further 30 minutes.

Meanwhile make the filling; add the eggs, caster sugar and lemons juice to a large bowl and whisk well to combine. Pour in the cream and whisk again. Pour the mixture in to the tart case.

2, 3, 4 and 5 oven AGA:   Carefully place the flan tin on the floor of the roasting oven, with the cold plain shelf on the fourth set of runners down. (AGA Total Control and AGA60 owners use the floor grid)  Cook for 15-20 minutes, turning once if necessary.  Then transfer to the simmering oven for 20-30 minutes until just set.  Don’t worry if the mixture balloons a little it will coat the pastry with a lovely glaze and will settle back down as it cools.

Allow to cool for 1-2 hours. Dust with a little icing sugar that you can blast with a blow torch for a few seconds until lightly golden (optional) and then serve with raspberries and fresh cream.

Conventional cooking:   When ready to bake preheat the oven to 180c/gas mark 4/ 350f.

Line the pastry case with parchment and fill with baking beans. Place the pastry on a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the baking beans from the case. Return the case to the oven to bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden. Brush the inside of the case with the remaining yolk and place in the oven for a further 1 minute. Remove the case from the oven and allow to cool whilst you make the filling.

Turn the oven down to 150c/ gas mark 2/ 350f.

To make the filling add the eggs, caster sugar and lemons juice to a large bowl and whisk well to combine. Pour in the cream and whisk again. Pour the mixture in to the tart case and bake for 30/40 minutes or until set. Don’t worry if the mixture balloons a little it will coat the pastry with a lovely glaze and will settle back down as it cools. Allow to cool for 1-2 hours. Dust with a little icing sugar that you can blast with a blow torch for a few seconds until lightly golden (optional) and then serve with raspberries and fresh cream.