PUDDING HEAVENWWW.FOODHEAVENMAG.COM APRIL baking heaven 57
Sweet lemon
and pasta tart
SERVES 8
For the pastry
375g (13oz) plain flour, plus
extra for dusting
75g (2¾oz) icing sugar, sifted
200g (7oz) butter, diced
1 free-range egg, beaten
75ml (2¾fl oz) milk
For the lemons in syrup
seeds from ½ a vanilla pod
2 large lemons
110g (4¼oz) caster sugar
400ml (14fl oz) water
2 tbsp Limoncello
For the filling
250g (9oz) vermicelli or
angel hair pasta, cooked
75g (2¾oz) unsalted butter
200g (7oz) caster sugar
300ml (10fl oz) double cream
grated zest of 1 lemon
seeds from ½ a vanilla pod
4 free-range eggs
250g (9oz) ricotta cheese
1 To make the pastry, grease and line
the base of a 25cm (10in) deep
fluted tart tin with baking parchment.
2 Put all the pastry ingredients into a
food processor and whiz until it forms a
ball. Remove from the bowl, then mould
the pastry into a ball of smooth dough.
Wrap it in clingfilm, then rest it in the
fridge for 1 hour.
3 While the pastry is resting, make up
the preserved lemons in syrup for the
topping. Finely slice 1½ lemons, making
sure that any pips are removed. Put the
slices into a pan and cover with cold
water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for
about 4 minutes.
4 Drain off the water through a sieve,
then return the blanched lemons into
the pan along with the measured water,
sugar and vanilla seeds and pod. Cover
with baking paper and simmer for
35-40 minutes until the skins are nice
and soft. Remove the lemons and
reduce the remaining liquid to a lovely
vanilla lemon syrup. Add in the juice of
the remaining ½ lemon or add
2 tbsp Limoncello.
5 Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark- Roll out the pastry between two
sheets of clingfilm, removing the clingfilm
from one side and using the other sheet to
help transfer it into the tin, clingfilm-side
up. Let any extra pastry hang over the
sides of the tin, to be trimmed later, before
baking. Remove the other sheet of
clingfilm and replace it with a sheet of
baking parchment.
6 Fill the pastry shell with baking beans
and blind bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Take it out of the oven and remove the
parchment and baking beans. Bake for a
further 5 minutes until dry and the pastry
has turned a golden brown. Remove from
the oven and allow it to cool inside the tin.
Carefully trim off any excess pastry.
7 For the filling, reduce the oven to
150°C/Gas Mark 2. Cook the pasta as
per the packet instructions. In a large
mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar,
cream, lemon zest, vanilla seeds, eggs
and ricotta and stir until smooth. Add
the cooked pasta. Transfer to the pastry
shell, then bake in the oven for about
1 hour. It should be golden and a knife
inserted into it should come out clean.
Allow to cool completely in the tin.
8 Remove the tart when cooled, then
top with the soft lemons in syrup,
making sure that lemony syrup fills any
little cracks that have appeared in the
tart filling. Cut into large slices and serve
with the remaining preserved lemons
and syrup on the side.