Lemon Tart with Strawberry and Pistachio Textures
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves 4
You will need a 22cm loose bottomed fluted tart tin
Lemon Tart Mix
2 x unwaxed lemons
6 x egg yolks
190g caster sugar
150ml double cream, lightly whipped
50g icing Sugar
Pastry
125g plain flour
50g salted Butter
50g Icing Sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 x egg
20mls egg yolk to paint inside of flan case
Macaroons
90g icing sugar
60g ground almonds
45g egg whites
30g granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
Pistachio Puree
75g peeled Persian green pistachios
125ml whole milk
20g caster sugar
Stock Syrup
100g Caster Sugar
100ml Water
Strawberry Gel
500g large strawberries
5g Agar Agar
Bee Pollen Honey Comb
30g golden syrup
50g caster sugar
10g bee pollen
¾ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Lemon Tart Mix
1)Zest and juice the lemons
2)Whisk the sugar and yolks until combined And add the lemon zest and juice
3)Fold in the cream and icing sugar.
Pastry
1)Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and work the butter in with your fingers to form crumbs
2)Add in the eggs and knead the dough until combined
3)Let the dough rest until firm (around 15-20 minutes) and then roll to a thickness of 3mm, line the flan tin.
4)Line with a sheet of greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans and blind bake at 180 degrees until golden brown (around 10-15 minutes)
5)Brush the case with 20ml of egg yolks and put back in the oven for 5 minutes
6)Let the pastry cool for 5 minutes
Lemon Tart
1)Add the lemon tart mix to the cooled pastry
2)Bake for 30 minutes at 140 degrees, then leave to cool
Macaroons
1)Mix the icing sugar and the ground almonds in a bowl
2)Using a foods mixer, whisk the egg whites and the pinch of salt to a firm meringue, adding the sugar gradually
3)Using a rubber Spatula mix the almonds and sugar to the egg whites until fully combined
4)Pipe the mixture into 8 small round shapes (roughly the size of a £2 coin) onto a silicone baking mat which has been placed on a baking tray
5)Tap the tray to release trapped air and bake in a preheated oven at 150 degrees for 10 minutes
Stock syrup
1)Mix the water and sugar in a pan and bring to the boil for 2-3 mins until the sugar has fully dissolved
2)Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool
Pistachio Puree
1)Simmer the Pistachios in the milk until soft (approx 5 minutes)
2)Blitz in a Thermomix for 3 mins. The mixture should be very smooth and glossy
3)Add sugar to taste
4)Pass the mixture through a fine sieve and chill in the fridge
Strawberry Gel
1)Keep 3 strawberries back and blitz the remainder of the strawberries in a food processor.
2)Pass the strawberries through a fine sieve
3)Add the agar agar to the strained liquid in a pan and simmer for 3 minutes
4)Pour in to a container and set in the fridge for around 20 minutes
5)Once it has set, blitz it in a food processer and pass through a fine sieve
Bee Pollen Honeycomb
1)Add the syrup and caster sugar to a deep pan and mix
2)Heat the mixture until it’s bubbling. Do not mix once it is on the heat
3)Remove from the heat after 3 minutes and whisk in the bicarbonate of soda and bee pollen
4)Pour the mixture on to a silicone baking mat
5)Once the mixture has cooled, break the honeycomb into small chunks
Plating up dish
1)Put a tablespoon of the strawberry puree mixture on to the plate and using a crank handled pallet knife spread the puree across the plate
2)Using a squeezy bottle, pipe dots of the strawberry gel and pistachio puree randomly across the plate, leaving the middle clear for the lemon tart
3)Take the reserved strawberries and drop into the cool stock syrup. Remove and drain, placing them on the plate in a semi-circle
4)Take one half of the macaroon and pipe some strawberry gel onto it. Take the other half and pipe some pistachio puree onto it. Press the two together and set on the plate among the strawberries
5)Cut the lemon tart into fingers, measuring 1 inch by 3 inches and place in the middle of the plate
6)Dust with icing sugar and glaze until golden with a blow torch