Monday 3 May 2010

Lemon Cream Fruit Tarts

The English May Bank Holiday has just been and, true to form, it rained. Although the day is truly meant to symbolise the coming of summer, the day just caused cravings for the sticky winter food I was just beginning to leave behind. So with my Granny coming for the day the first idea was to make a simple cake. But having just made the carrot cake I really wanted to welcome summer by making something light, zingy, fresh and bright. Which is just what I got from these delectable little tarts. DSCF6809 These are so simple because they are basically just an assembly job. You take a little shortbread cup…DSCF6802Add a dollop of whipped cream…DSCF6805  Spoon on some lemon curd…DSCF6806 Swirl the two together with a thin cake skewer…DSCF6807Top with slices of fresh strawberry!DSCF6808A bit of a fiddle to eat but totally gorgeous. The pastry was crumbly, the cream silky soft, the lemon curd sharp and the strawberries sweet. Perfect combination and perfect eaten warm in the sun. I used a Mary Berry recipe, but there’s not much too it really! The only true baking is the shortbread…

  • 100g plain flour
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 100g butter
  • 50g semolina or cornflour

1. Set the oven to 160C/gas 2.
2. Place all the ingredients together in a food processor and whizz until the mixture forms a smooth dough (if preferred this can be done by hand in a bowl using soft butter).
3. Roll out the dough to 5mm thickness and cut circles out with a cutter. Place gently in a bun tin.
 DSCF68014. Prick gently over the bottom with a fork. Bake for 10-15 minutes until firm and golden. 
5. Set aside to cool a little and slide out of tin onto a wire rack to cool before filling. Only fill when you are ready to eat!

10 comments:

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Yummy! Those tartlets are irresistible! I love that combo!

Cheers,

Rosa

Dewi said...

These little tarts sound superb Lucy. Love lemon cream and berries together!

Poires au Chocolat said...

Oh how lovely - simple is often the best! Lemon curd and whipped cream swirled together can never be a bad thing.

nanami said...

They are looking delicious. I love small fruit tarts :]

dinnersanddreams said...

That is indeed quite an easy to put together yet tantalizing tart recipe. I love the size. I need to buy tartlet pans for these cuties. Have a wonderful day!

Cici said...

Ive been thinking about fruit tarts loads recently! These look amazing!!! well done :)

Jane said...

Charming little tarts, Lucy. "Light, zingy, bright, and fresh" is quite right. Sounds--and looks--like they were completely scrumptious!

:) Jane

Faith said...

What pretty little tarts! The perfect way to begin the summer. :)

Ash said...

I so love these flavors!!! Must make something like this soon!! So summery too!

Jessica said...

Your little tarts are just beautiful! I love the strawberry garnish you used. Red and yellow is such a pretty color combination. And, I bet these tasted even better than they look!