Lemon Tart

And on yet another occasion, my dinner is also my dessert. I hate food waste and so I have to eat the food that I'm not able to harangue others into doing so. Not that I mind, but I do need to maybe go for a run or something. I have ridden my bike to work a bit, I suspect though that the distance isn't as far as it needs to be in order to burn off this increasing cake gut. It's OK I guess, given my upcoming birthday, I will blame the ageing process for my 'cuddliness'. 

So, new job is pretty busy and will become more so as time goes by, I really do need to hurry this cookbook along while I have the time to pay proper attention to it. Another thing that is taking up time is how much I am loving being back in Melbourne, there are so many people and places to catch up with, it's both very wonderful and a little tiring for an introvert such as myself. I have to pace myself and my visits with people have to be carefully balanced with time by myself — I know I have neglected some people so far, if you are one of these, please know I am working my way through my list of people I adore and I will get to you SOON. 

Things I am loving about Melbourne do include the weather. Even though this current heatwave is pretty damn warm, I am happily aware that a cool change will only be a few hours or days away. While the Brisbane weather is beloved by many (and I get that, I do), the idea that the next cool change won't happen until April is a little alarming to someone who really isn't great in hot weather.

It is probably a good time now for me to segue to the fact that I have a swimming pool? Well, not me personally, but the complex in which I live has a swimming pool and a tennis court. This is an excellent thing and I will continue to avail myself of the coolness that is but a few metres from my front door. It's so wonderful, and I feel terrific after I've dog-paddled a few laps. My new place is, I may have mentioned in a previous post, a little cosy, but with a lot of storage space and it is feeling homely in a good way. New housemate and I are working out well apart from that one time we realised we were wearing the same outfit. Not creepy at all. 

But anyway, as you can see, this is a delicious looking tart, and I urge you all to cook it. It's not bad, and smothered with fruit and cream, well...you know how great those additions make anything.   

Lemon Tart

1½ cups water

2 small lemons, grated rind & juice

½ cup sugar

1 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. cornflour

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 150°C

Into a saucepan, place water, grated lemon rind and juice, sugar and butter. Bring to the boil, add the cornflour whisking it to ensure no lumps, then boil for another 1 or 2 minutes until it has thickened. 

Remove from heat and stir in the beaten egg. 

Pour into prepared pastry cases (see below) and bake for 20 minutes.

Decorate with fruit, or cream, or meringue (check out the topping for the Apricot Custard Tart) 

Shortcrust Pastry

⅔ cup plain flour

pinch salt

120g. butter

cold water to mix (in hot weather, use iced water)

Sieve dry ingredients into a mixing bowl, and rub in the butter very lightly using your fingertips.

With a knife, mix rubbed in ingredients with just enough cold water to bind the pastry together. 

Finish mixing with your fingers and press into pastry moulds.

bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly cooked and firm. You can also roll the pastry if you're concerned about evenness of the crust. 

Tip: to ensure the pastry doesn't go out of shape, make sure you place baking paper and baking beads in the mould.

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For those of you who are not in Australia, please find here a selection of Measurement & Temperature Conversion Charts which should help with the accuracy of your own cooking.