I seem to recall that we got the original recipe from a newspaper clipping which I no longer have. What I do still have is the recipe itself, which still appears in my notebook as the "Dangerous Liaisons Lemon Tart". It consists of a delicate and crispy tart shell, filled with a tangy lemon custard - a very different experience to the sweeter and more assertive lemon meringue pie.
As always, I made mine GF using a good flour mix (any mix will do), and in fact, using GF flour with short pastry means not having to worry so much about over-mixing, because there's no gluten to develop.
A Note on Eggs: the pie is not baked after the custard is put in, so the only heat the eggs get are by mixing over the double boiler. For food safety reasons, you want to make sure that your mixture reach a temperature of at least 72 C/160 F. It's best to use a food/candy thermometer for this, but if you don't have one then at least make sure that when you touch the mixture in the middle of the bowl it is uncomfortable hot to the touch. For me this coincided with the time the custard reached the correct consistency.
This recipe uses several egg yolks. If you don't want to waste the whites, why not try this recipe for chocolate-filled meringue cookies?
"Dangerous Liaisons" Lemon Tart
Ingredients (for 28 cm/11 inch tart tin):
For the Crust:
- 2 cups all purpose flour (gf is fine)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- grated zest from one lemon
- 175 grams/6 oz cold butter, cubed
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 tbsp ice water
For the Filling:
- 4 eggs
- 4 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (this is about 4 small lemons or 3 large ones, but may be more or less depending on how juice the lemons are)
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- grated zest from two lemons
- 100 grams/3.5 oz butter, room temperature and cut into small cubes
Preparation:
1. Dough: Put the flour, sugar and zest in a food processor bowl and mix briefly to combine . Add the cold butter and process until the mixture resembles little dough crumbs. (If you don't have a food processor, you can do this by hand by cutting the butter into small cubes and then rubbing them into the flour with your fingers) Add the yolk and the cold water and mix just until the dough forms big clumps. Do NOT over mix. Combine a bit by hand, flatten to a round disc, wrap and chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.
2. Preheat oven to 175 c/350 f. Lightly grease a 28 inch tart/pie tin. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about a 30 cm/12 inch round, then flip onto the prepared tin. Press gently into the tin and trim any edged. Pierce the dough with a fork, then freeze, covered, for 15 minutes. (The cooling and freezing stages ensure that the butter is cold, ensuring a flaky, crispy shell)
3. Remove the dough from the freezer, cover with a sheet of baking parchment and top with dried beans or a baking weight. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden-brown. Remove the parchment and cool completely.
4. Prepare the filling: in a medium metal or heat-proof glass bowl whisk together the eggs and the yolks using a wire whisk. Gradually add the lemon juice, whisking as you go. Then add the sugar and lemon zest and whisk until you have an even mixture.
5. Take a medium pot sized so that the bowl can comfortably sit atop it without touching the bottom. Fill with a little bit of water and bring the water to a boil. With the pot still on the stove, place the bowl onto the pot and whisk, constantly, until the mixture reaches a thick custard consistency and is very warm to the touch (or measures 72 c/160 f with a food thermometer).
6. Remove from heat, and begin whisking in the butter cubes, one by one, until each is completely incorporated into the mixture. Pour the filling into the cold shell. Gently tilt the pie to either side to smooth the custard and make sure if fully fills the tin. Refrigerate until the filling is set, about 4-5 hours.
