Lemon Raspberry Tart; a ridiculously easy and cheap recipe for silky smooth lemon and raspberry custard encased in crisp pastry, perfect for lazy cooks!
So yeah, it’s pretty cold outside.
January and February have so far offered us Brits very little but diet and fitness adverts and a barrage of wet, windy storms with old fashioned names. Sadly resulting in us all being cold and sad. Boo.
After two days hidden away from the weather in my house getting up to date on uni reading (very productive for once), and nursing my ever present and inconvenient IBS, I needed something to lift my spirits a little. Naturally, this came in the form of something fresh from the oven.
There are very few baked goods as sunny and light as citrus tarts, whether it be a classic posh Tarte au Citron or a classic American Key Lime Pie. After finding a buttload of week-old lemons in the fruit bowl yesterday during a kitchen raid, I felt I should put them to good use before they fell into the unforgiving hands of hairy mould. And so this gorgeous lemon raspberry tart was born!
This wonderfully summery lemon raspberry tart is by no means a super food, but it has very few ingredients, a simple wholemeal crust and contains relatively small amounts of fat and sugar. So yeah, cut it into twelve slices and call it a superfood, that’s how it works right? Ok maybe not, but such a simple, wholesome and unbelievably light tart can’t be condemned even by the most militant of nutritionists.
The recipe is perfect for this time of year because it’s light, it’s easy and it’s very cheap to make! No one can resist the creamy wonder of this light lemon filling, not too sweet or too tart, even for those who aren’t the biggest fan of lemon flavour! Either way it tastes better than your kale and brown rice salad so…
I couldn’t even wait for the tart to chill completely before I scoffed a slice, hopefully you guys will enjoy it just as much!
To make the wonderfully cheap and easy pastry base, place the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl or food processor and mix together. Feel free to add a little more sugar or some vanilla extract if you like a sweeter pastry.
Add in some olive, vegetable or melted coconut oil and mix or process well until combined and beginning to clump. Add a few tablespoons of water or lemon juice until the mixture comes together into a dough. (I know this isn’t traditional and it doesn’t make patisserie-perfect pastry, but it is a fast and affordable way of making pastry even on your busiest days!)
Look out a 23cm/8 inch pie dish or loose-based tart tin and place the lump of dough inside it.
Use your fingers to press the dough all around the dish to make a case, trying your best to keep it fairly even in thickness. Don’t worry if you need to do some pastry patchwork, this is completely normal!
Use a fork to stab holes all over the raw case, this prevents it rising too much in the oven. Place the raw case in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes while you preheat your oven.
Line the raw case with foil, clingfilm or crumpled up greaseproof paper and fill it with any kind of dry beans (like my adorable little ceramic baking beans) or even raw rice or pasta. This helps the pastry stay flat when baking. I’ve seen chefs do this with clingfilm and fill it with flour, imagine the mess if that burst!
Bake in the preheated oven then remove the beans and whatever you lined the pastry with and allow to cool slightly while you prepare the filling.
For the filling, place your egg yolks in a large bowl (you can save the whites for omelettes or a meringue topping for this lovely tart if you have the time!) and whisk vigorously by hand or with an electric whisk for about a minute to lighten them.
Add the tin of condensed milk and whisk for a further 2 minutes.
Zest and juice the lemons into the bowl and whisk for another 2 minutes to ensure the filling is lovely and airy. (Lots of whisking I know, but its worth it for the silky texture!)
Pour this mousse-like mixture into the part-baked pastry case.
Look out your jar of jam and give it a good hard stir so there aren’t too many lumps, dollop the jam all over the filling and then use a knife or skewer to give it a good swirl. Don’t worry if it looks a little messy, it will taste gorgeous either way!
Place the lemon raspberry tart into the oven for a final bake to crisp up the pastry and set the custard.
By this stage the custard filling should have only a slight wobble, so remove it from the oven and allow it to cool (and chill in the fridge) for at least two hours. The wait is tough I know…
Once chilled and set, slice into 8-12 slices and dig in. This lemon raspberry tart is an all-round crowd pleaser. My fussy dad and lemon-shy mum both raved about it and went back for seconds, so I really hope your friends and family will enjoy it just as much! Provided you don’t eat it all before they get a chance…
Psst! Have you seen these crazy Lemon Black Pepper Cupcakes yet?
To make this deliciously simply Lemon Raspberry Tart, simply follow the recipe below!
Lemon Raspberry Tart
Lemon Raspberry Tart; a cheap and easy recipe for silky smooth lemon and raspberry custard encased in crisp pastry!
Notes
BE A MAVERICK: Why not get experimental with other citrus fruits and make a lime, orange or grapefruit tart?
This Lemon Raspberry Tart will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 200g (1 ½ cups) wholemeal flour (or white, or a mix of both)
- 2 tbsp any sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 65ml (⅓ cup) olive oil, vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
For the filling:
- 3 egg yolks
- 400g (1 ½ cups) tin of sweetened condensed milk (such as Carnation)
- Zest and juice of 3 lemons
- 3 tbsp or so of raspberry jam
Instructions
For the pastry:
- Place the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl or food processor and mix together.
- Add all the oil and mix or process well until combined and beginning to clump.
- Add a few tablespoons of water or lemon juice until the mixture comes together into a dough.
- Look out a 23cm/8 inch pie dish or loose-based tart tin and place the lump of dough inside it.
- Use your fingers to press the dough all around the dish to make a case, trying your best to keep it fairly even in thickness. Don't worry if you need to do some pastry patchwork.
- Use a fork to stab holes all over the raw case, this prevents it rising too much in the oven.
- Place the raw case in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes while you preheat your oven - 190 C / 170 fan / 375 F / gas mark 5.
- Line the raw case with foil, clingfilm or crumpled up greaseproof paper and fill it with any kind of dry beans (like my ceramic baking beans) or even raw rice or pasta. This helps the pastry stay flat when baking.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes then remove the beans and whatever you lined the pastry with and allow to cool slightly while you prepare the filling.
For the filling:
- Place your egg yolks in a large bowl (you can save the whites for omelettes or a meringue topping!) and whisk vigorously by hand or with an electric whisk for about a minute to lighten them.
- Add the tin of condensed milk and whisk for a further 2 minutes.
- Zest and juice the lemons into the bowl and whisk for another 2 minutes to ensure the filling is lovely and airy.
- Pour this mousse-like mixture into the part-baked pastry case.
- Look out your jar of jam and give it a good hard stir so there aren't too many lumps, dollop the jam all over the filling and then use a knife or skewer to give it a good swirl.
- Place into the oven - at 160 C / 140 C fan / 325 F / gas mark 3 - to bake for 15 minutes.
- By this stage the custard filling should have only a slight wobble, so remove it from the oven and allow it to cool (and chill in the fridge) for at least two hours before slicing and serving.
- Enjoy!
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