Lemon Tarts

Pastry

1 1/2 cups plain flour
pinch of salt
110g unsalted butter
1/4 cup castor sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten

Sift together the flour and salt, set aside. Process the butter in a food processor until softened. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. With the food processor still running, gradually add the egg, beating until just combined. Add the flour and salt all at once, and then pulse until the pastry comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a disc. With slightly wet hands I shaped the pastry into a disc. I just felt that my pastry was a little crumbly but didn't want to 'add' water, so using wet hands was just enough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins.

Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface and line your tins....at this point I used odd sized tins, but the recipe calls for six 10cm diameter flan tins with removable bases. These vintage tins don't have a removable base, but the cooked tarts slipped out perfectly.

Use a fork to prick the bases. Place on a baking tray, cover and pop in the refrigerator for 20 mins. Preheat oven to 180c. Line each tart case with baking paper, fill with dried beans or rice and blind bake for 15 mins. Remove paper and beans and bake for a further 5 mins or until pastry is golden.

Lemon Filling

3 eggs
1/3 cup caster sugar
Grated rind & juice of 1 lemon
100ml pouring cream

Combine the eggs and castor sugar and beat until smooth and well combined. Add the lemon rind and juice and mix and then beat in the cream. Pour mixture into pastry cases and bake at 150c for about 25mins or until filling is just set.

Candied Lemons

1 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup water
1 lemon, thinly sliced

Place sugar and water in shallow pan, over low heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to a simmer. Add the lemon slices and gently cook for 15 - 20 mins or until candied. Serve tarts topped with candied lemon slices with cream or ice cream. I oven baked a few extra lemon slices with drizzles of the sugary water over them. I wanted them to be a little more dark and crunchy.