The Tart Shell:
Make the pie dough using half the recipe using the instructions in recipe #3 for Short Pastry. Take the finished dough and place in the refrigerator to rest for at least one hour.
When fitting the rolled short pastry into the tart pan do not trim off the extra dough - leave it hanging over the tart pan. Doing it this way will give you more room in the tart pan for more filling. You will trim it later after the tart is baked.
When you are ready to roll out the dough, lightly grease and flour the tart pan and set aside.
Roll out the dough and line the tart pan leaving the extra dough leaving it hanging over the tart pan. Place the tart shell on a baking tray for baking. You will trim the extra dough later after the tart is baked.
Place in the refrigerator to rest.
When the pie shell has rested and cold, line it with baking paper and beans and bake for approx 30 minutes at Bake in a 180°C or 300°F. Remove from the oven and let cool.
When cooled remove the beans and paper and paint the inside of the tart shell with the single beaten egg to coat it well.and bake again in a 160°C or 300°F degree oven for 5 minutes until the egg has cooked. This will water proof the tart shell.
For the filling:
Grate the 4 lemons and squeeze them. Once you have squeezed the juice from them strain it and add it to the grated rind.
In a bowl large enough to hold all the wet ingredients break the eggs, add the plain sugar and beat lightly to dissolve the sugar. You don’t really want to beat any air into the mixture you just want to dissolve the sugar.
When done add the lemon rind and strained juice and mix in well then add the cream and mix again.
Pour half the liquid into the waiting tart shell and place it on a baking tray in the middle of the preheated oven. Pour in the rest of the egg mixture into a water pitcher. Pull the oven rack half way out and pour in as much of the filling as you can.
Using a pitcher like this means that you don’t have to balance a tart shell full of cream across your kitchen dripping all over the floor.
Leaving the extra pie crust on the tart should give you just enough room to get in all the mixture.
If you are using the 22cm. quiche pan you should have a little filling left over - don't throw it a way. Grease a small oven proof dish just large enough to hold the extra liquid and bake for about 20 minutes after the tart comes out of the oven. It will be a little extra treat.
Very gently slide the oven rack and tart into the oven. Using the tradition tart pan of 27cm. (11in.) bake at 160°C or 300°F for about 60 minutes or just until the filling sets. Using the 22cm. (8-1/2in) quiche tin bake at 160°C or 300°F for about 1hr. 30minutes, or just until the filling sets.
Remove from the oven and let cool. Take a paring knife (very sharp knife) trim off the extra short pastry using an outward cutting motion trimming all the extra pastry taking care not to touch the top of the lemon filling. Take the remaining powdered sugar and place it in a fine strainer and sprinkle it over the top of the lemon tart to decorate it. |
