Tarte Au Citron

Now I know for all of you that watch GBBO (Great British Bake Off), you will know who has won already. I have unfortunately missed tonights episode so I hope that no one ruins it for me and tells me until I have had a chance to catch up!


In lieu of this knowledge I have finally gotten round to making the second weeks technical challenge - Tarte au Citron.
My first attempt at making this was in my new flat which threw many obstacles in my way. Number 1, our oven temperature markings had completely rubbed off so I had no idea what temperature it went up to! Number 2 my weighing scales broke, which I attempted to make work by converting all weights to cups using a measuring jug. I DO NOT recommend this.
Initially my pastry seemed like it was going ok, until I rolled it out too thick and then whilst blind baking it pushed it out of the tin! The mixture then curdled and seeped out of the case, I also had too much so made some lemon custard from it which was lovely but much too sugary.
Honestly this whole thing was a car crash from the beginning!!


Thankfully at the weekend I went home and wasn't going to be beaten by my failing so made it again, but tampered with the ingredients.
I used the same Mary Berry pastry recipe but used the Leith's Baking Bible recipe for the filling as I think hers was just too too sweet.
Just a note, I made the pastry on one of the hottest days in September so had to refrigerate it for ages and even then it was so soft I couldn't roll it out so pressed it into the case with my fingers. This made it slightly inconsistent in thickness but I think it actually came out a lot thinner and crumblier than if I had rolled it, so I would highly recommend this.

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

(from BBC Food Recipes - can be found here)


I followed it exactly up to blind baking stage, ready for filling


Lemon Filling
(adapted from Leith's Baking Bible)


Ingredients
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
100ml double cream
200g caster sugar
the juice and zest of 2 lemons


Method
1. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, egg yolk and sugar. Then add the cream, the mixture will be quite thick.
2. Add the lemon juice and zest, whisking well then pour into your blind baked pastry case taking care not to spill any mixture over the sides of the case as it will burn. 
I put my pastry tin inside a square tray before filling to make it easier to transfer to the oven.
3. Your oven should be preheated to 180C, place the filled tarte in the oven and bake for 30 minutes then turn down the heat to 150C and bake for a further 10-15 minutes until the mixture is completely cooked but still has some wobble.
4. Once cooled remove from the pastry tin and sprinkler generously with icing sugar and serve.