The weather lately (despite the odd cloudy day or casual shower) has been beautiful. Despite the pandemic, we have been so fortunate that the sun’s been shining and we’ve had the chance to go out for a walk in the local area or sit out in the garden soaking up the rays. During the sunny patch, we were having a number of barbecues and salads in the garden, but something was always missing… dessert! I therefore decided to try out a gluten free, lactose free and incredibly zesty lemon tart!
For this recipe you will need a 23cm (9″) tin with removable base (I actually purchased this one from Amazon as I didn’t already have one).
The combination of the citrus versus the sweetness of the icing sugar makes this pudding a real treat on the taste buds! It only lasted about 3 days by the time we made excuses to eat it for brunch, lunch and dinner (between the two of us). Be warned – it is THAT good.
I’ve made gluten free shortcrust pastry a few times before and it’s a lovely texture , you’d have no clue that it was gluten free, and it can be rolled quite thin without breakages too! Make sure you blind bake it first, no one wants a soggy bottom.
Gluten Free Lemon Tart
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 180 g Gluten free plain flour
- ½ tsp Xanthan gum
- 90 g Butter
- 1 Egg yolk
- 75 ml Cold water
- 50 g Icing sugar
For the lemon filling:
- 125 ml Lactose-free cream
- 5 Eggs
- 225 g Caster sugar
- 4 Lemons (juice & zest)
- Icing sugar to serve
Instructions
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Mix together the flour, butter, xanthan gum and icing sugar in a large bowl and rub between your fingers to form breadcrumbs.
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Add the egg yolk and water and mix until it forms a pastry dough.
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Cover in cling film and chill for 20 minutes.
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Preheat your oven to gas mark 6 or 200 degrees celsius.
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Grease a 23cm (9") tin with a removable base and cut out a circle of baking paper to fit the base. Place inside the tin.
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Roll out your pastry on a floured surface until it is larger than your tin. Carefully place this inside the tin and press lightly into the corner and sides. If any cracks form, press these back together with your fingers or use the pastry overhang for repairs.
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Line the pastry base with baking paper, fill with baking beans (so that they are firmly pushing against the sides) and bake for 10 minutes. I sometimes find gluten free pastry tends to cook a little quicker so keep an eye on it.
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Remove the beans and put the pastry to one side to cool while you prepare the filling. Lower the oven temperature to gas mark 3 or 170 degrees celsius.
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Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the lactose-free cream, caster sugar, and zest and juice of all of the lemons, and whisk this together.
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Pour into the pastry base until it nears the top (if it looks like it will spill, place it onto the oven shelf and pour the rest in so it doesn't overflow).
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Bake for 35-40 minutes until it is set, with a very slight wobble.
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Leave to cool. Using a small cup or mug placed underneath, remove the tin and place the lemon tart onto a serving plate. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
This is probably one of the more fiddly recipes I’ve shared, particularly with the two stages of baking, but it’s definitely worth the effort. If you’re a fan of lemon-based recipes, you may also like to try my Lemon Drizzle Cake, Lemon & White Chocolate Biscuits or my Lemon & Elderflower Cupcakes.
As always, let me know if you give this recipe a try, I love seeing your creations. Feel free to send me an email or share your images on Instagram.
Happy baking,
Alice x
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