I made lemon curd for the first time a couple of days ago and, in a fit of nostalgia, I suddenly got the urge to make these little tarts. I can remember seeing them but strangely enough don't think I ever ate one. Thinking about it I realise this is entirely possibly because, presented with a choice, I would almost certainly have passed it over for a custard tart, my all time favourite as a child. However, in some inexplicable way, together with cream buns, eccles cakes and bakewell slice, they evoke for me memories of an England that sadly doesn't exist anymore.
I don't make jam tarts so I needed to look in a little booklet I have of traditional cakes and baking to find out the amount of pastry to make. The pastry itself wasn't a problem because I know how to make a nice rich one without a recipe and, in fact, didn't follow the one proffered. The booklet told me to make these in pattie tins, and so that's what I did, but they turned out smaller than those I remember. Maybe cupcake tins would have been better, the amount of pastry I made being enough I think, a larger cutter needing to be used obviously. No matter, the pastry was light and crispy, the lemon curd a wonderful tangy contrast, and the little tartlets, because that's what they were, mouth-meltingly delicious.
Lemon Curd Tarts - makes 12
120g plain flour
pinch of salt
15g caster sugar
60g butter
cold single cream
Preheat oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas mark 6. Sieve the flour, sugar and salt into a bowl - and for those of you who don't sieve, please do it makes all the difference. Add the butter in cubes and lightly rub it into the flour using just the fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in cold single cream, a little at a time, to form a stiff dough. Turn the dough on to a floured surface and knead lightly.
Roll out the pastry fairly thinly, being careful not to stretch it, and cut out 12 rounds using a 7.5cm cutter to line the lightly greased indents of a patty tin. Put a little lemon curd in each being careful not overfill them. Bake for about 15 minutes.
120g plain flour
pinch of salt
15g caster sugar
60g butter
cold single cream
Preheat oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas mark 6. Sieve the flour, sugar and salt into a bowl - and for those of you who don't sieve, please do it makes all the difference. Add the butter in cubes and lightly rub it into the flour using just the fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in cold single cream, a little at a time, to form a stiff dough. Turn the dough on to a floured surface and knead lightly.
Roll out the pastry fairly thinly, being careful not to stretch it, and cut out 12 rounds using a 7.5cm cutter to line the lightly greased indents of a patty tin. Put a little lemon curd in each being careful not overfill them. Bake for about 15 minutes.
6 comments:
These look beautiful. Glad you were able to satisfy your desire for nostalgia. :) Nigella's lemon curd cookies are delicious too, if you feel like baking with the curd later this month, and since now I am not so afraid of pastry, I will try Nigella's jam tarts from HTE.
xoxo
Ilana
Ilana, I am so pleased to hear that you are overcoming your fear of pastry because it is so much better than shop bought.
I suppose you mean the Lemon Gems from HTBADG as they are the only ones I can find. I'm wanting to make a syllabub with the lemon curd but as that only needs 2 tablespoons I may have enough for the cookies as well. If not I shall just have to make some more :)
They look lovely, they actually look like egg yolks I think, so very appropriate for Easter time :)
KJxx
Oh, they are so cute! I looove all things lemony, so I am def going to make this.
If you wnat to try other recipes, take a look at Falling Cloudberries, I think Tessa Kiros has got a recipe too :)
vs xx
They look lovely, Pistachio!
I'm sad you think old England doesn't exist any more, though. Come over to my house for afternoon tea any day; I hyperventilate if I don't have home made cake in the tin ready for callers!
Plum Chutney
these look delicious Pi,definitely
takes me back to my childhood when we kids used to get them as a sunday afternoon treat. Will def give them a go.
Terry
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