Recipe: Lemon tarts

Method

For the base:

•  Beat the butter and sugar together until it forms a creamy paste.

•  Add in the egg yolk and vanilla essence and mix into the butter paste.

•  Rub in the flour to make the dough. Make sure not to mix it too much lest the base becomes chewy, rather than crispy.

•  Roll the dough out on a flat, lightly-floured surface and cut 15 rounds out of it, using a cookie cutter. Each round should be approximately three inches in diameter.

•  Line the rounds in a 2.5 inch muffin pan.

•  Bake the bases in an oven pre-heated to about 180^oC. The baking time should be about 20 minutes or until the base becomes golden in colour.

For the filling:

•  Prepare the filling by placing all the ingredients (except the butter and lemon juice) in a large sauce pan, whisking gently until the mixture comes together and thickens.

•  Add in the lemon juice and butter and mix.

•  Allow the mixture to cool before filling it in the baked cases.

•  Put a glazed cherry on top of the filling and place the tarts in the refrigerator for cooling. Your tangy lemon tarts are now ready! Serve chilled.

Lemon Pound Cake

Who knew a fruit as sour as lemon could be so useful in concocting delicious sweet-dishes? Lemon tarts, lemon custard and even lemon cheesecake are some common deserts, made with the goodness of the fruit. Read on for yet another lemon desert recipe to add a little more yellow brightness to your day.

Ingredients

•  Butter (unsalted and softened) 5 tbsp

•  Sugar 3/4¾ cup


•  All-purpose flour 1 cup

•  Salt ¼1/4 tsp

•  Baking soda 1/4¼ tsp

•  Fresh lemon juice 3 tbsp

•  Lemon zest (finely grated) 2 lemons

•  Milk ¼1/4  cup

•  Eggs (large) 2



Method 

•  Preheat oven to about 180^oC.

•  Line a 9 by 5 inches loaf pan with butter, dust it with sugar and tap off the excess.

•  Whisk the flour, salt, baking soda, milk and one tablespoon of lemon juice together.

•  In a separate bowl, beat the butter and 3/4 cup of sugar together, using an electronic mixer. Keep beating the mixture until it becomes pale in colour and flurry in texture (this should take about two minutes).

•  Once the butter and sugar have been mixed, add in the eggs and lemon zest.

•  Mix the flour and milk mixtures together, one by one, into the butter and sugar mixture to prepare the batter. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake it for about 35 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.

•  In the meantime, prepare the lemon glaze by stirring the remaining sugar and lemon juice together. Once the cake is cooked and retrieved from the oven, brush it with the lemon glaze immediately.

•  Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before taking it out.

•  If you have any glaze left over, apply it as well and garnish the top with some lemon zest. Your homemade lemon pound cake is now ready.

SOURCE: WWW.MARTHASTEWART.COM

Published in The Express Tribune, Ms T, April 19^th, 2015.