Lemon Tart(s)

I had wanted to make Maggie Beer's lemon tart for so long but it asks for 600ml of creme fraiche, which for some reason is really hard to get here and is ultra expensive when you can find it. I did a google search, however, and apparently its easy to make yourself. Just add 1 tablespoon of buttermilk to a cup of heavy cream and leave it, covered, at room temp for 12 hours (to make your own buttermilk add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice/vinegar to a cup of milk). I ended up finding some reasonably priced creme fraiche but needed an extra 200ml, i mixed half double cream and half sour cream, which resulted in a similar texture and taste. Next time i will probably try the first method as it is a more affordable way of using better ingredients. I'm not sure why creme fraiche is so hard to get here, it seems to be just like slightly soured cream, which our uptight food safety people have no problem with. Maybe in its true form its unpasteurised or something.

Anyway, this is not the tart to make for someone with a heart condition. Wow. But it does taste phenomenal. Maggie's sour cream pastry is so simple to make and always gives a good result, just make allowances for a bit of shrinkage. She bakes the tart in a deep, 20cm tin, one of which i now really want. I did it in a much shallower dish and shrinking was a slight issue. I forgot to take a picture of the finished tart, but there was leftover pastry and filling so the next day i made these mini lemon tarts. The trick to getting the filling nice and silky is to cook it until it is just at a gentle set. After a while in the oven just check it every so often by giving it a little shake, when it wobbles as one, it is done. Maggie suggests serving it with clotted cream, but i think your arteries are already getting a hefty workout. A few strawberries and maybe some lightly whipped pouring cream would be nice. 

From Maggie's Harvest, Maggie Beer. 

Sour cream pastry:

Ingredients: 

200g chilled unsalted butter, chopped into small pieces

250g plain flour

1/2 cup (125ml) sour cream

Method: 

Put the butter and flour into the bowl of a food processor, hen pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the sour cream and pulse again until the dough just forms a ball. Wrap dough in cling wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. 

Roll the dough until it is 5mm thick, then use it to line a 20-24cm tart tine, with a removable base or greased and lined. Chill the pastry case for 20 minutes. 

To blind bake, preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Line the pastry case with foil, then cover with pastry weights or uncooked rice. Blind bake for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and pastry weights and bake for another 5 minutes. 

For the filling:

Ingredients:

150g castor sugar

8 egg yolks (freeze the whites)

100ml lemon juice

grated rind on 1 lemon 

600ml creme fraiche

icing sugar, optional (to serve)

After blind baking the pastry case, reduce the oven temp to 180 degrees C. Meanwhile, beat the sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice and rind until smooth, then fold in the creme fraiche. Fill the warm pastry case with the lemon mixture, taking care not to overfill (depending on the size of you pastry case, there may be left over). Bake until set, about 25 minutes. Serve the lemon tart lukewarm, dusted with icing sugar if desired.