Tried and tested lemon tart recipes please...

[lilolilmanchester]

... ie pastry case filled with set lemon- curdy type filling. Tried, tested and enjoyed recipes only please - I've found recipes on the net but put off by having had a not very pleasant home made one at a dinner party once. So need to know it's a trusted recipe! Thanks,

I made this this weekend for a dinner party and it was super easy and FABULOUS !!! Don't skimp on the lemon juice ... let me know what you thought xxx

Lemon Meringue Pie

hands-on time: 20 minutes I total time: 40 minutes I serves 6

This was always served on special occasions and, because my brother loved it so much, he would get it for his birthday or whenever he came home from the army.

1 cup Marie Biscuit crumbs (about half a packet, crushed)
½ cup melted butter
2 eggs, separated
1 397-gram tin full-cream condensed milk
½ cup lemon juice
¾ cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 180°C. Mix the crumbs with the melted butter until combined and press into a 20cm pie dish. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes to set. In a separate mixing bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks and add to the condensed milk. Add the lemon juice and the mixture will thicken. Pour the condensed milk mixture into the pie dish. Whisk the egg whites until it forms soft peaks, then gradually add the sugar and beat until thick and glossy. Spread on top of the pie and bake in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes, until the meringue is lightly browned and set.

Thanks Carolina - like the idea of the crumb rather than pastry base. Two questions: by condensed milk do you mean evaporated, or the sticky sweet condensed milk?
Also, would the lemony bit be ok on it's own without the meringue topping (DH can't stand meringue) - if so would make one with and one without.

Best of all by a long mile is the River Cafe Cookbook one.

Nicely tart and lovely pastry.

thanks lapin, you posted as I was responding to carolina! My mouth is watering- literally - just thinking about it!

that's one cookbook I don't have soapbox and am banned from buying more!

I made a seriously grim one for a dinner party last month. Lemon quiche. Vom.

which recipe ggg (so I know to avoid!) Also important to know which ones don't work IMO

vom but probably something to do with my multimultimultitasking at the time

Hi lilolilmanchester - yup, can lose the meringue (my dh also tries to veto it but you're obviously nicer than I am !!) And yes, condensed milk is the sweet sticky stuff - so slimming this recipe is NOT !!! It is yummy though ... x

thanks all

It isn't that one Lapin. It is the one from the first cook book:

Pastry:

350g plain flour
pinch of salt
175g cold cubed butter
100g icing sugar
3 egg yolks.

Put salt in flour, rub in butter, sift in icing sugar add eggs and draw together into pastry dough. Keep in fridge for at least one hour.

Coursely grate into the buttered pastry tin and press evenly into sides and base. Bake blind for 20mins at 150 C. Cool.

Filling:

finely grated zest and juice of 7 lemons (unwaxed)
350g caster sugar
6 whole eggs
9 egg yolks
300g unsalted butter, softened.

Put all ingredients except butter into a large pan over a low heat and whisk until eggs are broken up and sugar dissolved. Add half the butter and continue to whisk, at this point the eggs will start to cook and will coat the back of a spoon. Add the other half of the butter and continue stirring until the mixture becomes very thick. It is important to continue whisking throughout so that mixture does not curdle. Remove from heat, place on a cold surface and continue to whisk until luke ward.

Raise oven temp tp 230 C. Spoon filling into pastry case adn bake until the top is brown - watch it like a hawk! It should take about 5 mins or so.

Serves 10-12 people!

Sorry should have said that this is for a 12" loose bottomed flan tin.