Lemon tart with summer berries

Lemon tart with summer berries

A zingy lemon tart from Mr Ramsay. Gordon's version of the classic French Tarte au citron is well worth the effort

Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Cuts into 10 slices

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 30 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 15 mins

Vegetarian

Vegetarian

Method

  1. Finely grate the zest of 3 of the lemons into a bowl. Halve all the lemons, then use a fork to squeeze out all the juice and pulp into the bowl with the zest - don't worry about the seeds. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl, then whisk in the caster sugar until completely combined. Whisk in the cream and lemon juice mix, then set aside.
  2. Place a 23cm tart ring or loose-bottom flan tin on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper. On a surface dusted with icing sugar, roll out the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin. Lift onto a rolling pin, then drape over the tart ring or flan tin, leaving the excess hanging over the edge. Carefully press the pastry into the sides with a small ball of pastry. Put in fridge or freezer for 20 mins to allow pastry to chill.
  3. While the pastry is chilling, heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Prick the base of the pastry case, line with greaseproof paper and baking beans, then bake for 15 mins. Remove the paper and beans, then bake the case for 5-10 mins more until it is biscuity brown and crisp. Lower oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2.
  4. Use a ladle to push the lemon custard through a sieve into a bowl, pressing down on the pulp to extract as much juice as possible. Skim the bubbles from the surface of the custard, then pour the custard into a jug. Pull the tart out of the oven slightly, then pour in the custard so it comes to the top. You may have some left over. Push tart back in, then bake for 35-40 mins until the top forms a light crust and the custard is just set. Leave to cool, then chill.
  5. While the tart is cooling, make the berry salad. Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and scatter the icing sugar over the base. Heat until the sugar dissolves and caramelises. Throw in the berries, toss with the sugar, then splash in the sherry vinegar. Bubble for a min until everything is just starting to soften, then tip onto a plate and leave to cool slightly.
  6. Use a serrated knife to trim away the pastry and make a neat edge. Dust the tart lightly with icing sugar, then use a blowtorch to caramelise the top. Leave the top to set, then repeat the process so that you get an extra-thick layer of caramel. Stir the mint through the berries. Serve the tart in slices with a bowl of the berry salad on the side.
Try

Tip - Blowtorch

Caramelising the tart with a blowtorch turns the top into a kind of crème brûlée.

Per serving

490 kcalories, protein 8g, carbohydrate 58g, fat 27 g, saturated fat 11g, fibre 2g, sugar 44g, salt 0.35 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, July 2008.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 21-40

  • Binder photo my_dunh

    01 May 2009

    my_dunh rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Absolutely delicious - just the right balance out sweet and lemonyness. Yum!!!

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  • Binder photo catherinelfoot

    22 May 2009

    catherinelfoot rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Despite my slight incompetence with the patry (the first attempt went in the bin), this turned out beautifully. I do not have the equipment to do the caramel topping so I skipped it, it was still fantastic.

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  • Binder photo Nicola Kempley

    13 June 2009

    Nicola Kempley commented on this recipe

    I cooked this for my friends and they loved it!! I used 5 big lemons and although it was very lemony and tangy i found that you only needed a little slice. I served it with a choice of clotted cream or clotted cream ice cream. It was a real winner.

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  • Binder photo EllieCarlisle

    23 June 2009

    EllieCarlisle rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    So so tasty and really easy to make. Also I had leftovers of the lemon custard mixture so put that in a separate dish, cooked it, chilled it and ate that the following day as a sort of lemon panecotta- delicious!

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  • Binder photo SarahInFrance

    04 July 2009

    SarahInFrance commented on this recipe

    As a veggie we eat a lot of savoury tarts in summer, so to avoid serving up another tart for dessert (cutting down on all that pastry), I will be making this using a cheesecake (crushed biscuit and butter) base. Today I am going to make just the lemon mixture and serve it with a layer of fresh rapsberries on top and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Living in France, have tasted this recipe many times. I love it but it is very strong, lemony and not extremely sweet, it may not be for everyone.

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  • Binder photo crazychris991

    15 July 2009

    crazychris991 commented on this recipe

    before I start on Mr. Ramsey's recipe what should I do with the lining of the grease-proof paper? People seem to be having problems!!!

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  • Binder photo Mogzie_xx

    06 October 2009

    Mogzie_xx commented on this recipe

    abserlotley georguos!

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  • Binder photo Sarah

    17 January 2010

    Sarah rated this recipe

    3 stars

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  • Binder photo nku

    27 January 2010

    nku rated this recipe

    3 stars

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  • Binder photo ramona

    01 February 2010

    ramona rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Lianne Warner

    18 February 2010

    Lianne Warner rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo mrskonrad

    04 April 2010

    mrskonrad rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Fantastic!!! This was the best lemon tart my family and I have tasted. I didn't caramelise sugar to the top and served it with the berries and a dollop of creme fraiche - delicious!! Will definitely make this again!!

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  • Binder photo Philippa

    16 April 2010

    Philippa rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    could have done with a bit more lemon. I put the lemon zest in too which was nice. The layer of chcolate definitely made a difference, it was interesting but I don't know if it made it any better. I almost think it would have been nicer without. I also made an almond pastry which was really nice.

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  • Binder photo crazychris991

    27 April 2010

    crazychris991 commented on this recipe

    Hi guys, I am hoping you can help me!! Made lemon tart soo many times. Although I would like to serve it with something very different and unique. Can you help me?

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  • Binder photo pastry

    30 May 2010

    pastry rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    A perfect combination of sweet and sour. Amazingly good.

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  • Binder photo Suzanne Calder

    04 June 2010

    Suzanne Calder commented on this recipe

    Very yummy and went down a treat however next time I think I wouldn't bother straining through a seive as it removes the zest which I think adds to the overall flavour as I like lemon tarts very lemony!!

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  • Binder photo Tara

    05 July 2010

    Tara rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This is sooooooo lush, will being making again and again!!!

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  • Binder photo Delicious Mrs Dee

    13 July 2010

    Delicious Mrs Dee rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This was a hit dessert at my posh BBQ last weekend. I followed the receipe exactly except I used a citrus juice extractor instead of extracting pulp with a fork, so didn't have any pulp. Still strained the custard and extracted the zest but next time will try leaving fine zest in the custard mixture and not straining it. The taste was very lemony and tangy. Just one thing on making the summer berry salad - the raspberries do not need a whole minute cooking - mine disintegrated and produced a lot of juice but still tasted great. Next time I will add the raspberries at the end just for 20 seconds. Will definitely make again.

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  • Binder photo Petrushka

    21 August 2010

    Petrushka commented on this recipe

    @chimpy (2 years later) & crazychris991 Line the baking sheet but not the flan tin. What you must also line is the pastry itself before baking it blind to stop the beans from sticking to it and so you could easily remove them after 15 minutes by lifting them out with the paper. I'm not sure why the need for lining the baking sheet. Won't bother next time.

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  • Binder photo Petrushka

    21 August 2010

    Petrushka commented on this recipe

    D'oh! Just realised why line the baking sheet. That's necessary if you are using a tart ring (no bottom!).

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Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Cuts into 10 slices

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 30 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 15 mins

Vegetarian

Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 5 unwaxed lemons
  • 6 eggs
  • 250g golden caster sugar
  • 200ml double cream
  • icing sugar , for dusting and decorating
  • 375g block dessert pastry

FOR THE SUMMER BERRY SALAD

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Per serving

490 kcalories, protein 8g, carbohydrate 58g, fat 27 g, saturated fat 11g, fibre 2g, sugar 44g, salt 0.35 g

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