Individual lemon tartlets

Equipment and preparation: for this recipe you will need 12 x 7.5cm/3in fluted mini tartlet tins, a
10cm/4in round cutter and a piping bag fitted with a plain writing nozzle.

Ingredients
For the pastry
175g/6oz plain flour
100g/3oz cold butter, cut into small cubes
25g/1oz icing sugar
1 free-range egg yolk
For the filling
4 large free-range eggs
100ml/3fl oz double cream
150g/5oz caster sugar
3 lemons, juice and zest
icing sugar, for dusting
For the decoration
100g/3oz plain chocolate (36% cocoa solids), chopped

Preparation method
1. For the pastry, place the flour, butter and icing sugar into a food processor. Pulse briefly until the
mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then add the egg yolk and one tablespoon of cold water.
2. Pulse again until the mixture sticks together in clumps then tip onto a work surface and gather it into a
ball with your hands. Knead the pastry just two or three times to make it into a smooth ball. Wrap it in
cling film and place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
3. Grease 12 x 7.5cm/3in fluted tart tins.
4. Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 5mm/in. Cut out circles with a 10cm/4in round cutter and use to
line the tins, re-rolling the pastry as necessary. Place the tart cases in the fridge to chill.
5. Preheat the oven to 200C(180C fan)/400F/Gas 6.
6. Cover the base of the tartlets with heat-safe cling film, baking parchment or foil and fill with a few
baking beans.
7. Bake blind for seven minutes then remove the cling film and beans.
8. Return the pastry cases to the oven for another 4-5 minutes or until they are light golden-brown and
completely dry. Set aside to cool while you make the filling. Reduce the oven temperature to
170C(150 fan)/325F/Gas 3.
9. For the filling, break the eggs into a large bowl and whisk together with a wire whisk. Add the rest of
the filling ingredients and whisk again until they are all well-combined. Pour the filling mixture into a
jug, then into the cooled baked pastry cases. To prevent it spilling as they go into the oven, pour in
most of the filling so it almost fills the tarts, carefully sit the baking sheet and tarts on the oven shelf,
then top up with the rest of the filling to completely fill the tarst.
10. Bake for about seven minutes, or until just set but with a slight wobble in the centre.
11. Leave to cool slightly then carefully ease the tartlets from their tins an place on a wire rack to cool
completely.
12. For the decoration, melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. (Do not allow the
bottom of the bowl to touch the surface of the water.)
13. Spoon the melted chocolate into a small disposable piping bag. Snip off the end and pipe the word
citron or a decoration of your choice on top of the tarts.