Seasonal Lemon and Elderflower Tart

Ingredients

Sweet pastry

• 60 g sieved icing sugar
• 2 medium sized egg yolks
• 150 g plain flour
• 75 g unsalted butter
• 0.25 tsp salt
• 0.25 tsp vanilla paste
• zest of half a small orange

Lemon elderflower curd

• 3 lemons (juice and rind)
• 2 medium size eggs
• 2 egg yolks (as well as above)
• 75 g salted butter
• 155 g castor sugar
• 50 ml elderflower cordial

• 50 g crème fraiche
• zest of half a lime
• freshly ground mixed peppercorns
• 55 g mixed nuts (unskinned almonds, pecans and hazelnuts)
• 55 g caster sugar
• butter and flour to line cake tin
• 100 g gooseberries
• 125 g caster sugar
• knob of butter
• 49 g caster sugar

Method

To prepare the pastry

1. Using the paddle on a mixer blend together the sieved flour, butter and salt until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Then add the vanilla and orange zest and stir in
3. Whisk the eggs yolks with the icing sugar
4. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until a soft dough is formed
5. Form the dough into a flat circle shape and wrap in cling firm
6. Chill for at least an hour before use.

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C
2. Grease the tin and lightly dust with flour
3. Place greaseproof paper lightly dusted with flour underneath and on-top of the pastry. Roll the pastry and place in the tin. Place the tin in the freezer for 3 -5 minutes. Cover the pastry with greaseproof paper and cover with baking beans.
4. Bake the pastry blind in the oven for 12 - 15 minutes. Remove the greaseproof paper and brush with egg white. Return to the oven for 3 – 5 minutes until golden in colour.
5. Set pastry aside to cool.
6. Make curd by melting butter in pan. Add the sugar to the melted butter and stir over a low heat. Finely grate the lemons and juice. Add the zest and juice to the pan. Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk together. Add the eggs to the pan and continue to stir until the mixture thickens. The curd is ready when it coats the back of a spoon (approximately 5 – 10 minutes). Place in a bowl and allow to cool.
7. Put the lemon curd into the pastry case and return to the oven (at 180 degrees) for 10 – 12 minutes until set with a wobble.
8. Make the praline by putting the sugar and mixed nuts in a saucepan over a low heat. Allow the sugar to slowly melt and turn a caramel colour. Move the pan around if necessary and wait for the nuts to pop (approximately 5 - 10 minutes). Pour this mixture onto a parchment-lined tray and allow to cool. Once cool chop these nuts.
9. Top and tail the gooseberries. Put these in a saucepan with 100g of the caster sugar and allow to reduce down over a medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved reduce the temperature and continue to cook until all the fruit has broken down (approximately 5 minutes) Taste and add more sugar if required. Then sieve the mixture and allow to cool.
10. Mix the crème fraiche, grated lime zest and pepper together.
11. Sprinkle a thin layer of caster sugar onto the tart and using a blow torch gently caramelize the sugar

Plating up

1. Slice the lemon tart and place on the plate. Spoon the gooseberry sauce and crème fraiche onto the plate and cover with the praline mixture.