This is my Aunty Tona’s Lemon Tart. Now I have to admit my Aunty Tona would make this with her own lemon curd, and so do I when I feel like it. But to be honest, most times I make this because it’s super easy and I know I can knock it up in 5 minutes (plus resting and cooking time). There are some great lemon curds in the shops these days, I say use them. It makes your life easier and you’re more inclined to actually make something.
My Aunty Tona was bit of a ‘domestic goddess’ in the kitchen when I was growing up. Her amazing desserts would leave us breathless. She shared this one with me a few years back after she served it to me for afternoon tea. I’m not sure where she got the recipe from, but I guess that’s how recipes are. Shared, stolen, passed down. In any case, it is my son’s favourite and I have made it countless times since then. It will, however, always be “Aunty Tona’s Lemon Tart” to me.
The beauty of this recipe is it’s pastry. Thrown into the food processor, it requires no work on your behalf. All I ask is that you keep all the ingredients as cold as possible prior to mixing (I always keep my flours in the fridge. It keeps the weevils away and when I need to make pastry it’s well chilled!).
This will help with its’ ‘crumbliness’. However that said, once the pastry has rested a little in the fridge you don’t need to get out the rolling pin! Just squish it into the pan, reserving a little to grate over the top. It won’t look pretty going in the oven, but when it comes out it will look amazing.
- 1 cup Self Raising Flour
- 60g cold unsalted butter, chopped
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 300g Lemon Curd
- Preheat oven to 180c (160c fan forced)
- Lightly spray a 20cm loose bottom tart tin with cooking oil.
- Put the self raising flour and butter in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and pulse for 10 seconds to combine.
- Add the egg and pulse until the dough starts to cling together and form a ball. Remove, wrap in clingwrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Use 2/3 of the dough to line the tin. Just place it in a mound in the centre and use your hands to gently press it out to the sides so it completely covers the base of the tin.
- Spoon the curd over and spread so the base is covered. Leave a 1cm rim around the edge.
- Get a cheese grater and grate the remaining pastry over the top. If it’s very soft, just put it in the freezer for a few minutes. Use your hands to evenly distribute the little chunks of pastry over the top of the curd. Little holes with curd showing through are fine. It will look pretty messy, don’t worry, this is how it’s meant to look. Rustic.
- Place in the oven and cook for 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes, then take out of the tin and allow to cool completely.
- Serve cold with cream or vanilla ice-cream.
- Stand back and revel at how easy this is and how amazing it looks and tastes!
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