This vibrant lemon tart flavoured with new season gooseberries and foraged elderflower makes the perfect light summer dessert.
Garnish with elderflower sprigs and extra gooseberries; I like to lightly poach mine in elderflower cordial.
This recipe was kindly given to us by Jess Noy at The Gamekeepers Daughter, an award-winning chef who runs Takeout Thursdays: weekly full-meal takeaway of varying menus inspired by street food from around the world. Takeaways are available to collect every Thursday 4-8pm from Chelmondiston near Ipswich. Jess also caters events, specialising in game and foraged food.
Serves 8-10.
Ingredients
- 500g of sweet shortcrust pastry
- Egg white
- Icing sugar for dusting
- 50g gooseberries lightly poached in elderflower cordial (see below)
Curd
- 150g ripe gooseberries
- 1 tbsp elderflower cordial/syrup
- 1 large lemon (zest and juice )
- 8 large egg yolks
- 50g golden caster sugar
- 100g good honey
- 200g cold unsalted butter cubed
Method
- Preheat the oven to 170C.
- Grease and flour a 8 inch fluted tart tin.
- Roll the pastry out to the size of the tin (leave a little excess to allow for shrinkage). Line with baking parchment and fill with baking beans or rice. Blind bake for 20 minutes, then remove the beans.
- Brush with a little egg white and bake for a further 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Trim the edges to neaten to pastry (optional).
- To make the curd: Place the gooseberries in a small saucepan with a splash of water (2 tbsp) and cook for 6-7 minute or until soft. Sieve through a fine mesh strainer pushing the pulp with the back of a spoon.
- Combine the sieved gooseberry with the lemon, egg yolk, sugar and honey. and whisk well.
- Place this mixture in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water, whisk until thickened and curd-like.
- Then one cube at a time, incorporate the butter, whisking well after each addition.
- Allow to cool slightly then pour into the tart case. Allow to set in the fridge for at least 6 hours.
- Dust with icing sugar and serve with extra gooseberries.
TIP- Halve the gooseberries, place them in 2 tbsp of cordial and microwave on medium high for 1 -2 minutes to soften.
