Lemon Tart

Pastry: Place the flour, salt and icing sugar in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolk and water and pulse to just bring the dough together. Tip onto the bench and gently bring together. Form into a disc, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.

Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured bench and line a 30 cm loose-based tart tin. Lightly prick the base with a fork and place in the freezer for at least 15 minutes prior to baking.

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Bake blind for 20 minutes then remove the paper and beans. Reduce the oven to 170°C and bake for a further 5-8 minutes until golden. A lower temperature is required due to the high butter content in the pastry which burns easily.

Reduce the oven to 150°C.

Whisk the lemon juice, cream, caster sugar and eggs together. Strain into a jug and stir in the lemon zest. Pour into the tart shell and bake for 30 minutes or until the filling is just set but still has a slight wobble.

Leave to cool before removing from the tin.

Sprinkle the surface with a thin layer of caster sugar and caramelise with a brulée torch.

To serve: Dust with icing sugar and serve with softly whipped cream. 

Cook's Tip: To bake blind line a prepared pastry case with baking paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. The beans support the pastry as it cooks. Bake in a preheated 190 ̊C - 200 ̊C oven for up to 20 minutes before removing the paper and weights. The shell should now have taken form. Return the tart to the oven for the specified cooking time.

Baking beans are ceramic or metal ‘beads’ which can be re-used again and again. Available from cookware stores.