Some people have certain recipes that they always make and can claim as their own (eg. Mama’s Spaghetti or Margaret’s Casserole) and I think this recipe could maybe be mine.
It is originally an excerpt from a Gourmet Traveller Annual Cookbook, and here it is:
Ingredients:
Lemon Cream Filling
5 eggs
450 ml pouring cream
155 gm caster sugar
Juice of 4 lemons
Rind of 1 lemon
Lemon-vanilla Sablé
300 gm (2 cups) flour, sieved
150 gm butter
Rind of 1 lemon
Scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean (I just use the vanilla paste stuff – you can grab from any supermarket)
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp pouring cream
1. Process eggs, cream and sugar in a food processor until just combined. With motor running, add lemon juice and rind in a stream until incorporated. Transfer to a jug and refrigerate until froth separates from liquid (at least 4 hours).
2. For lemon-vanilla sablé, process flour and butter in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Add remaining ingredients and 1 tbsp chilled water and pulse to just come together. Turn out onto a work surface and knead lightly until smooth, then form into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll pastry to 4mm thick on a lightly floured work surface, then line a lightly buttered and floured 24cm-diameter tart tin, trim edges and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 175°C. Blind bake tart* until edges begin to turn golden (25-30 minutes), then remove paper and weights and bake for 8-10 minutes until just cooked, pressing occasionally with a clean tea towel on pastry base to flatten if beginning to puff. Reduce oven to 150°C. Skim top of lemon filling to remove froth, pour into pastry case and bake until just set (30-40 minutes). Cool to room temperature in tart tin and serve with cream on the side (optional). Serves 8-10.
*For blind baking, line a pastry-lined tart tin with baking paper, then fill with weights (ceramic weights or rice work well).
