Tarte au citron (with an Italian twist)

I’ve been experimenting with my Nudo Lemon flavoured Olive oil (delicious!) and here’s my recipe for a lemon tart which, in my humble opinion, it just about the most luscious dessert invented and with every mouthful evokes memories of sitting outside a tiny cafe on the harbour of St Vincenzo on the Tuscan coast. The lemon tart I tasted there was the benchmark for all that followed!

Shortcrust pastry

plain flour 250g

icing sugar 90g

very cold unsalted butter, chopped into small  cubes 120g

egg yolks 2

icy cold water 1-2 tablespoons

Combine in a food processor until crumb stage then tip it all out, bring together and knead only very lightly to make a smooth pastry, then wrap it in cling-film and refrigerate for half an hour. Roll it out on a floured surface and lift and lay it onto a greased and floured flan dish of 26-27cm. Blind bake for 10mins at 190degs, remove the beans ad paper and then bake for a further 5 mins.

Lemon filling

eggs 5

egg yolks 2

caster sugar 225g

ground almonds 60g

double cream 175g

Nudo Lemon flavoured Olive oil

zest of lemons 3

juice of lemons 5

Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar until very pale and fluffy, add the almonds and whisk. Combine the cream and lemon juice in another bowl and whisk into the egg mixture. Mix in the lemon zest and olive oil. Pour this mixture into a jug. Place the pastry case onto a baking sheet on the middle shelf in the oven and pour the lemon filling into the case, this should almost fill the case to the top. Slide into the oven and bake for 35 mins. The filling should be set but with a wobble. Finish with a dusting of icing sugar which can be glazed under a hot grill if desired, but I like it just as it is.