Classic Tarte au Citron with Raspberry Coulis

How to make Classic Tarte au Citron with Raspberry Coulis Recipe - This was the first dessert I learnt to make when I was training to become a pastry chef in London in 􀀙􀀡􀀡􀀘. The Lemon Cr􀁶me Filling should be smooth and mellow in savour, balanced out by the sharpness of the Raspberry Coulis.

MAKES A 20CM TART, SERVING 8 PEOPLE

PASTRY:
½ quantity of Basic Short Pastry
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water, for egg wash

LEMON CRÈME FILLING:
2 large lemons
4 eggs
90g sugar
150ml fresh cream

RASPBERRY COULIS:
220g fresh or frozen raspberries
50g sugar, or to taste
lemon juice, to taste
crème fraîche, to garnish

Method:
Make Basic Short Pastry the day before and store wrapped in the refrigerator. (You can make the full recipe, use what you require and then wrap the rest in plastic wrap and freeze for later use.) On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to approximately 3mm thick and cut a circle slightly larger (approximately 23cm in diameter) than the 20cm flan ring in which it will be baked. Line the flan ring with pastry and trim off the top edges with a sharp knife. Line the pastry with aluminium foil and fill with baking blind material. Set aside on a baking tray for at least 30 minutes to relax the pastry.

Bake blind in a preheated 180°C oven for approximately 20 minutes or until light golden-brown in colour. Remove the foil and weights and brush immediately with egg wash to seal the pastry case. Return to the oven and bake to set the egg wash, about 2 minutes.

Wash the lemons in warm water. Zest the lemons and squeeze all the juice into a small bowl.

Combine the eggs and sugar in a bowl and gently mix together, then lightly whisk in the cream and lastly add the lemon zest and juice. Don’t over-whisk as you don’t want too much air to be incorporated. The mixture will look split at first, but it will become nice and smooth after the gentle mixing.

Place the raspberries into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Place in a blender and purée, then strain into a small bowl through a very fine sieve to remove any seeds. Adjust the tartness by adding lemon juice to suit your taste. Cool until required.

Pour the Lemon Crème Filling into the baked pastry case, right up to the top, taking care not to spill any over the edges while transferring to the oven. A small trick is to fill the tart when it is already in the oven standing on the baking tray.

Bake in a preheated 150–160°C oven for 20–25 minutes or until the filling has set. Cool before removing from the tin.

Cut into eight wedges and serve with crème fraîche and Raspberry Coulis.

Classic Tarte au Citron with Raspberry Coulis