SPRING BREAK IS HERE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. I’m heading down
south (I think?) to stay with mum’s penpal. It’s a little sad outside…very grey
and gloomy. But BBC weather says that it’s going to be nice and warm in Croughton
so I’m not complaining. J
It’s not quite going to be a wild spring break in Cabo (Although seeing the
chickens wandering around in bikinis is a pleasant thought) but I’m really
excited. The last time I saw Lesley was when I first arrived in the UK, and
I’ve been dying to go back to her beautiful house ever since.
Despite their protests, I’ve promised to cook for my keep which I’m really looking
forward to. To be completely honest I’ve kinda lost a bit of my cooking kick
this semester. Too much going on, too many deadlines… a change of scenery is
just what I need to get back into gear. The train ride has given me a chance
to start planning menus in my head. I know I want to do spatchcock chicken at
some point and I’ve brought curry powder for an Indian night, but the rest is
pretty much up in the air. Shall I do the roast pork belly again you think? Or
maybe dumplings? And what about something new? Puddings? The brain in pulsing
with new recipe possibilities and I’m glad. It hasn’t had a chance to do that
in a while.
Speaking of cooking (not that I ever talk about anything
else), Fiona decided on Saturday night to show Eli and I what a proper British
roast dinner was like. On a crazy whim we got into her car for an adventure!
(When I say
‘adventure’, I mean a chicken run to Morrisons, with a stop at Sally’s quad to
steal some rosemary)
Anyways I volunteered to make a lemon raspberry tart for
pudding. And this is a recipe I really wanna share because it’s so simple to
throw together. It’s the sort of thing that looks very glamorous but literally
takes minutes to put together on your part. And it all boils down to a little
bit of cheating (i.e-using a pre-made shortcrust tart shell).
Now don’t get huffy. When your counter is covered in potato
peelings, oil spills and raw chicken sometimes a pre-made crust is what pulls
you back from the brink of dinner party insanity. And no one will honestly be
able to tell the difference. Once you pop the shell on a baking tray, all
that’s left for you to do is whisk up the fabulously lemony filling, pour it in
and bake.
Lemon Rasberry Tart
- - One 20cm premade shortcrust pastry shell. (be
careful to choose one that isn’t cracked or broken)
- - 2 whole eggs
- - 2 egg yolks
- - ½ cup castor sugar
- - ¼ cup flour
- - The juice of 2 ½ lemons (Quick tip: rolling the
uncut lemon on the counter before squeezing will give you the most juice with
minimal effort)
- - 1 small punnet of raspberries.
- - Icing sugar and double cream to serve.
+ Preheat your oven to 180’C
+ Put the tart shell on a baking sheet with some parchment paper
underneath.
+Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, castor sugar and flour.
Then add the lemon juice and mix well.
+ OK, so you’re going to want to put your pastry case in the
oven and then carefully pour in the lemon filling. I poured it in first and carried
the lot over, but that resulted in a good lot of the filling sloshing out of
the pastry case before the tart even made it to the oven!
+ Bake for 20 minutes. There won’t be any jiggle to the
filling when you take it out. Don’t worry; this is more like a lemon bar
topping rather than the usual lemon curd. It will still be smooth and creamy
when you cut into it.
+Let the tart cool down and transfer to a plate. Bejewel the
top with raspberries and chill for atleast 2 hours.
+ Just before serving, dust with icing sugar and serve with
some double cream on the side.
:3 I’ll leave you to humbly accept the fountain of
compliments you receive for all the ‘hard work’ you put into dessert. Enjoy!
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