Lemon tart
If you have a tree overflowing with lemons, this recipe is a great way to use them up. You will need about four lemons for this recipe. I love the tartness and the silky texture of this lemony tart, and the crust is a versatile gluten-free beauty. Try it with a pumpkin pie as well.
Lemon Tart
Serves 10–12 Gluten free
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
160 ml (2/3 cup) freshly squeezed lemon juice
85 g (¼ cup) rice malt syrup
180 g (¾ cup) mascarpone
4 eggs, plus 1 egg extra, lightly beaten, to brush
cream, crème fraîche or creamy yoghurt, to serve (optional)
Almond pastry crust
2 cups almond meal
2 tablespoons coconut flour
60g virgin coconut oil, chilled to solidify then roughly chopped
1 egg
½ teaspoon liquid stevia (optional)
2–4 teaspoons cold water
How to make Lemon Tart:
Preheat oven to 160.
For the almond pastry crust, whiz the almond meal, coconut flour and solid coconut oil in a food processor and pulse until the coconut oil is mixed evenly throughout the mixture – you will still see small flecks of the solid coconut oil. Add the egg and stevia (if using), and, with the processor running, add enough water for the mixture to form coarse crumbs. It should cling together when pressed between your fingertips.
Distribute the crumbs evenly over the base and up the side of a fluted 23 cm x 3 cm (9 in x 1¼ in) round loose-based tart tin, and then press the mixture firmly into the base and side of the tin with your fingertips.
Cover the crust with a sheet of non-stick baking paper and fill with baking weights, or dry rice or beans. Blind bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and take out the weights and paper. Brush with the extra beaten egg and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the crust is cooked through and the sides are lightly coloured. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Whisk the lemon zest and juice, and the rice malt syrup together until the syrup dissolves. Add the mascarpone and eggs, and whisk gently until combined. Try not to whisk too vigorously or you will end up with little bubbles sitting on top of the cooked tart.
Put the cooled crust on a baking tray and place on the oven shelf. Pour the lemon mixture carefully into the crust. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until set with a slight wobble in the centre. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin. Serve at room temperature or chilled with cream, crème fraîche or yoghurt, if desire
Caroline Griffiths is an accredited cook and nutritionist, food writer, and food stylist based in Melbourne, Australia. She is a passionate food expert with over twenty-five years of food industry experience, including working for the Australian Women’s Weekly. She has contributed to many cookbooks, food magazines, and websites. Caroline loves to create recipes that are flavourful, wholesome, creative, and achievable. She recently published a baking recipe book with difference – Incredible Bakes. Carrot Cake Biscuits recipe is another one she is sharing with us.
Extract from Incredible Bakes by Caroline Griffiths, published by Smith Street Books, RRP $39.99 Photography 2016 © Chris Middleton
