A very lemony French tart that everyone adores. The basic French tart pastry is rich and shortbread-like (leftover pastry makes fine cookies). However, because of the high fat content, it can be tricky to roll out. If necessary, pat the pastry into the pan with your fingers.
Serves 6 to 8.
Sweet Tart Pastry:
- 200g cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 110g cup butter, diced
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Filling:
- 3 eggs
- 180ml sugar
- 110 g butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 120ml lemon juice
- Combine flour, sugar and salt in a food processor or by hand.
- Scatter butter over flour.
- Pulse until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Beat together egg yolk and lemon juice.
- With machine running, pour egg mixture through feed tube.
- Pulse just until liquid is incorporated into flour. If dough seems dry, add a little lemon juice.
- Turn mixture into a bowl and knead together gently until it forms a ball.
- Flatten into a disk.
- Wrap pastry in plastic wrap and chill for 15 minutes before using.
- Preheat oven to 425 F/215C.
- Roll out pastry on a floured board and fit into a 23 cm tart pan.
- Cut away excess pastry.
- Prick pastry base with a fork, line with foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove foil and beans and bake for 5 minutes longer or until pale gold.
- Cool.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350 F/175C.
- Whisk together eggs and sugar.
- Stir in melted butter, lemon zest and juice.
- Pour into pastry shell.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until just set.
- Cool on a rack.