Monday, February 27, 2012

Lemon lime tart plus WIN STUFF!


I’ve always loved the idea of a pie, a homely high-top apple pie cooling on the window sill, filling the kitchen with warm, spicy aromas, curtains fluttering in the gentle breeze. But then, my realistic streak kicks in – why would you leave a pie on the window sill? Isn’t it unhygienic? What about the flies and bugs that might land on it? What if it tips over? What if Foghorn Leghorn wanders by and snitches it? And wah!, I don’t have fluttery gingham curtains in my kitchen so the effect is ruined anyway!

It’s never actually stopped me from eating pies, but I’ve never really made a ‘proper’ one, either, with a crumbly shortcrust pastry, luscious gooey filling and, maybe, an egg-washed, golden high top that is just begging for a dollop of thick cream to decorate it.

I still haven’t made such a pie, but since I got a food processor, pastry-making isn’t such a big deal anymore. And now that I have some ceramic pie weights, blind-baking a shortcrust has become a whole lot easier. Hence this lovely lemon lime tart. And the path to a holy grail apple pie is just another step closer.

Lemon and lime tart
serves 10

Ingredients
Pastry:
2 cups plain flour
1/4 cup icing sugar
150g butter chopped
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons iced water

Filling:
5 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup caster sugar
300ml thickened cream (cream that has gelatine added; can be low fat)
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
1/2 cup lemon and lime juice (approx 2 lemons and 1 lime)

Method
1. For the pastry: Place flour, icing sugar and butter in a food processor. Process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add egg yolks and water. Process until dough clumps together in a ball. Remove from the food processor and shape into a disc. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm it up.

2. Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F. Grease a deep, 24cm/9in round, loose-based flan tin. Roll out pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper until 3mm/1/8in-thick. Line the tin with pastry; trrim off excess. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

3. Place prepared tin on a baking tray. Line pastry case with baking paper. Fill with ceramic pie weights or uncooked rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove weights or rice and baking paper. Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden. Cool pastry case. Reduce oven temperature to 170°C/340°F.

4. For the lemon filling: Whisk eggs, sugar, cream, lemon rind and lemon juice in a bowl. Stand 5 minutes.

5. Pour mixture into pastry case. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until filling has just set. Cool for 15 minutes. Refrigerate overnight or until chilled.

recipe adapted from Super Food Ideas (Aug 2011)
The pastry is easily made in a food processor, though if you have strong arms, it can be done manually.
Handy hint: Rolling the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper will reduce cleanup of your benchtop.

Ceramic pie weights definitely make it easier to blind-bake the pastry case (read further on to see how you could win your own).
The filling is a delicious blend of cream, eggs and lemon and lime juice.
The number of lemons and limes depends on how juicy they are. I used 2 lemons and 1 lime.

The tart is baked until the filling is set, though it is a fairly wobbly filling anyway.

Tangy, lemony, with a hint of lime - this tart is sublime!


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A Kitchenware Direct Giveaway


The folks at KitchenwareDirect.com.au have kindly provided these brilliant baking tools for you to win.
The prize consists of:
MasterChef mixing bowl 3-piece set
MasterChef stoneware pastry weights in a glass jar

Having used these products in making the lemon lime tart, I can vouch for their quality and usefulness (the winner will get a brand new set, obviously!). They've also gotten rave reviews on the kitchenwaredirect.com.au website.
 The bowls are stainless steel and come in 1.5 litre, 3 litre and 5 litre sizes. The pastry weights are a great alternative to the uncooked rice that I normally use, and the glass jar they are stored in is a fantastic idea (and heaps better than my plastic bag of rice with 'Do not eat!!!' written on it).

To be in the running to win this stash of goodies (with fast delivery from KitchenwareDirect.com.au):
 - Leave a comment on this post and tell me what your favourite pie or tart flavour is. Remember to include your blog or email contact details.
- Alternatively, enter by email to: oohlookbel2000 [at] gmail [dot] com.

You have until end of Sunday 11 March 2012 to get your entries in.
Small print conditions are at the end of this post.
Good luck!
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12th March 2012:  We have a Winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered the kitchenwaredirect.com.au giveaway.
The randomly selected winner is:
Anna @ The Littlest Anchovy

Congratulations, Anna; I will email you.


Conditions of entry for Kitchenware Direct giveaway:
1. Entry is via valid comment on this post. Entries are also accepted via email to Ooh, Look.
2. Entries close at midnight on 11 March 2012.
3. Winner will be randomly selected
4. Sorry, the prize can only be sent to Australian addresses
5. Prize is provided by and will be sent from kitchenwaredirect.com.au

31 comments:

  1. Woohoo! A giveaway :) Apart from mouth puckeringly sour lemon-lime tarts, my favourite kind of pastry-encased goodness would have to be a steak, mushroom and pepper pie. Extraordinarily hard to find (they always seem to make either steak & mushroom OR steak & pepper, but never both) but well worth it once it's obtained.

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  2. Your lemon lime tart looks deee-lish! Must be that time of year for zingy summer tarts - I baked a lemon tart yesterday and it was perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream!

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  3. Leave your window open to cool a pie on the sill and you also may have a certain grey cat inside your kitchen, giving Tabatha a good slap around.
    "Tangy, lemony, with a hint of lime - this tart is sublime!"
    Poetic, much? Although, I'm certain it's sublime!

    I reckon my favourite pie has apple, molasses, figs, peaches, beef, pork and a bunch of herbs. Blow it, throw in some gorgonzola. Well, those are the things I like most in a pie. Be it a seperate or all-in-one fruity and meaty extravaganza.
    john@heneedsfood.com

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  4. Yay for delving into the world of pies! It really isn't that scary of a place, I promise. And once you've mastered pie crust-making, you can certainly take on apple pie. But if we're being honest...this definitely appeals to me more. i LOVE citrus!

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  5. LOVE the colours of this - stunning. My favourite is definitely the lemon tart, followed closely by chocolate. I think lemon wins because its fruit so you know, its healthy ;)

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  6. Gosh. Dig the presentation with the addition of blueberries, really brings all the colours out. I heart your lemon and lime tart.

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  7. Ooooh this pie looks amazingly good! I must say lime pie would be up there for me but lately I have been getting into the salted caramel flavour and loving it so I think for now that would be one of my favourites.

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  8. My favorites are pumpkin and lemon (separately of course). I really think I could live off of pumpkin pie and I make it throughout the whole year.

    Sleepyheadedmom at gmail dot com

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  9. I love a lemon tart! But also love those summer tarts with all the mixed berries.

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  10. Sounds like a perfect summer treat! I'm always reluctant to make pies/tarts because I can never quite get the pastry right, but a home made pie or tart is always so much for satisfying to eat :)

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  11. Cool giveaway! My favorite pie is sour cherry - so good! :) Your lemon-lime tart looks amazing too! :)

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  12. That tart is amazing, fabulous recipe and images :D My favourite flavour is always lime for pies and tarts, fond childhood memories always stick with me when it comes to food.

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  13. Bel, I love everything that has lemon...and this tart looks delicious, like the vibrant color and beautifully presented with fresh blueberries.
    Hope you are have a great week ahead :)

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  14. Oh I love fresh fruit tars with custard. Its the right blend of sweetness! I LOVE to bake! Sincerelyvlp220(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  15. Wow!!! Love the color of that pie!!! Gorgeous!

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  16. That pie looks beautiful! I still haven't attempted home made pastry but I intend to start giving it a go come winter. I have very warm hands you see...
    I love all pies but my absolute favourite would have to be a banoffee pie!

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  17. Favourite pie or tart flavour would have to be a toss-up between classic apple pie - served piping hot with rock cold vanilla ice-cream - or lemon meringue pie as I probably could never be bothered to make my own.

    And no, I wouldn't leave a pie on the windowsill either - what if Evil Henry got to it?! *gasp*

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  18. Goodness! This lemon lime tart is sooooo gorgeous!

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  19. I love pecan pie, but I recently made an avocado cream pie and it's probably my new favorite.

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  20. Your tart looks amazing! I love all tarts and pies but my favourite would have to be dark chocolate tart with raspberries!
    Ayk_hwang@yahoo.com.au

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  21. Your tart looks perfect. How do you do that?! haha. I find that I resort to a citrus tart when I just want to steer away from chocolate (i know - how could i?)

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  22. oh I am a joiner! Count me in! Your tart looks perfect and I will definitely give it a try. It looks like it came right out of a recipe book! Good work! I really need to give making my own pastry a go. It is so much better. I remember my elderly neighbour used to make pastry all the time and we would sit in her retro kitchen and watch. She gave me all her cake tins when she was unable to cook any longer. I still remember her when I use the heart shaped tin :) simonlisa@optusnet.com.au

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  23. My GOD that looks good! I wish I had something more intellectual to say but I lose composure in the face of citrus tarts.

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  24. Gulp. Well double gulp actually - lemon AND lime (combined with pastry) answers every criteria on mu Ultimate Dessert Brief.

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  25. OMG, I doubt I am gonna win (not only that I am in Bulgaria), but I have no luck, usually :-) But since I LOVE your blog, let me add my comment: My favorite sweet thing should include lots of chocolate!!! I ADORE chocolate, and combine with strawberries or blueberries, mint.. mmm..

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  26. I do love a tart TART get it?? Ahahaaha. Bel It looks delicious. My favourite tart is a Blood Orange Tart that I ate in Japan. So delicious. A good tart = good memories. I have those mixing bowls and I think they are fantastic...

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  27. Ok - I can't stand it - I MUST make this tart over the weekend. It looks so bright and cheery and scrumptious! It will also give me the chance to use up the "medium" grain organic rice that I bought that hubby doesn't like :)

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  28. My most favorite of all favorites is pecan pie! but boy you got me with the lemon tart! I absolutely love everything lemon and I bet the lime adds that perfect extra twist...

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  29. My favorite tart is still kumquat ricotta cheese tart but I am guessing I will love your lemon lime tart too:D Love all your photos. Although I am not staying in Australia, I have a forwarding address so I hope I am in the run!

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  30. OOh that looks yummy! My fave sweet pie is lemon meringue pie and for savoury, I have only just recently been successful in making a homemade meat pie I am happy with ;-)

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  31. I love your blog! This tart looks amazing! My favourite would definitely be lemon, followed by chocolate and then pecan.

    Would love to win those bowls! Email is queenofwands78@hotmail.com

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