It was patisserie week and the bakers were challenged with making delicate treats which would not look out of place in a French bakery. They all looked so delicious! I honesty would eaten anything they baked, regardless of what Paul and Prue said about it. Poor Tasha had a really unlucky week, and after a teary goodbye, we have our finalists! Josh, Matty and Dan are sure to provide a fantastic show next week. I can’t wait! Who do you think is going to win? Drop us a message on Instagram.
Patisserie recipes always appear rather daunting, but my lemon tart recipe couldn’t be easier. It uses the same pastry as the chocolate tart in chocolate week, but I have repeated the instructions here as well. With only 6 ingredients, this recipe is super simple, yet it can still be quite a showstopper! If you want to make it look even more impressive, then why not decorate with some candied lemon slices and edible flowers? However, you chose to serve, this tart will definitely have people going back for another slice!
Ingredients:
- 175g Flour
- Salt
- 85g Butter
- 3 Lemons
- 6 eggs – 3 whole eggs and 3 egg yolks
- 150g Mascarpone
- 160g Maple Syrup
Method:
- Weigh the flour and salt into a bowl.
- Cut the butter into cubes and rub into the flour so the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Alternatively, if you are short on time, you can use a blender to mix the flour and butter together.
- Chill the pastry in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Grease a tart tin with butter and dust with flour.
- After 30 minutes roll out the pastry so that it fits the inside of the tart tin and then gently press the pastry into the creases.
- Leave the pastry to chill in the tine for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200⁰C.
- Once chilled, use a fork to make holes across the bottom of the pastry.
- Place some baking parchment on top of the pastry in the tin and fill with baking beans (or plain dried rice).
- Blind bake the pastry in the oven for 15 minutes. This will prevent your tart having the dreaded soggy bottom!
- Remove the baking parchment and baking beans from the tin and cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until the pastry is starting to brown.
- Leave the tart case to cool while you make the filling.
- Turn the oven down to 150⁰C.
- Zest the lemons into a small bowl and then add the juice.
- Separate 3 of the eggs, keeping the yolks and discarding the whites.
- Add the yolks to a bowl with the 3 whole eggs and beat until pale and bubbly. The longer you whisk the eggs for the better, so I would recommend using an electric whisk to save time and get the eggs really fluffy!
- With a whisk, beat the mascarpone.
- Add lemon zest and juice to the mascarpone and stir until combined.
- Combine the eggs and maple syrup and gradually incorporate into the mascarpone with a whisk, ensuring no lumps remain.
- Pour the filling into the pre-prepared tart tin and cook in the oven for around 50 minutes or until the filling is starting to golden.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool before serving.