Lemon Tart with Strawberries Recipe

Ingredients

Serve 8

Pastry:

• 3 1/3 cups/500 g all purpose/plain flour

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup/50 g granulated sugar

• 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

• 3/4 cup/150 g butter

• 7 tbsp milk 

Lemon Filling:

• 1 egg and 5 egg yolks

• 1/2 cup/100 g granulated sugar

• 4 tbsp butter

• grated zest of 1 lemon

• 3 tbsp lemon juice 

• 10 oz/300 g strawberries, washed and hulled

• 1/3 cup/50 g confectioners'/icing sugar, to dust

Method:

1. Pastry: Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and nutmeg. Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

2. Mix in enough milk to make a smooth dough. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap. and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/ gas 4. Set out a 12-inch (30-cm) spring form pan or pie plate.

4. Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick. Fit into the pan, trimming the edges if needed. Line the pastry shell with waxed paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights.

5. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove the paper with the beans. 

6. Lemon Filling: Beat the egg, egg yolks, and sugar in a double boiler over barely simmering water until well blended.

7. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture lightly coats a metal spoon or registers 160°F (80°C) on an instant-read thermometer.

8. Stir in the butter and lemon zest and juice. Immediately plunge the pan into a bowl of ice water and stir until cooled. Pour the filling into the pastry base.

9. Arrange the strawberries on top of the tart. Dust with the confectioners' sugar and serve.