Lime tart
Who else pretends to be Nigella when they cook?
…really only me?
I love to cook but I’m lazy so while there are a few things I make from scratch. I’m a purest about doughs of all kinds. Especially focaccia and pizza. I get real satisfaction from finding the most efficient way to make the traditional things.
Recipes have to pass two tests. They have to be easy enough for me to remember because I can never find a recipe when I need it. And I have to want them again. Actually those are my rules for everything.
I recently made a Lime tart. I love limes and until this pie I thought limes were best in lime and soda.
So far I’ve made it twice, both times it turned out great. So here it is for you to try.
I’m going to share warts and all, because I want us to be besties. Besties don’t lie to each other about how good they are, they laugh at their mistakes and help.
Let’s do the base, this is the trickiest bit. The second time I did this I left the base in too long because I got carried away meandering through some interesting research oops. It was delicious in a whole new way…darker gold than I thought it should be, but still edible.
For the base I use 80g butter or margarine (I use cholesterol lowering one, because it was all I had)
200g of vanilla cream wafer biscuits
200g of butter snap biscuits
Put the biscuits and butter in a food processor and mix till it combines. Then press that into a pie dish or spring form pan lined with baking paper.
Put that in the oven for 15 minutes on 180c.
Yeah that’s tricky you’re thinking to yourself. Well let me tell you when I put it in the oven all my hard work making sure it went up the sides of the dish was for nothing. With the heat it all went to the bottom of the dish. And it was a bit oily looking.
So I got a ladle when I took it out of the oven and squashed it into a more appropriate shape. No it’s not at all Nigella I know… I’ll also at this point, admit to dabbing it a bit with kitchen towel to soak up some of the oiliness. I’ve since reduced the amount of butter I use to 80g, and that works better.
Let that cool and when it has, make the filling. The reason we wait is because there’s egg in the filling and you’ll curdle the filling mixture if the shell is too hot.
To make the filling you’ll need a can of condensed milk, I use the skim 375g or 14oz (because I constantly worry about feeding people too much bad stuff)
Half a cup of lime juice, use what you like, I had lime juice in a bottle I used that the first time it’s ok.
A container of sour cream (still worrying about feeding people bad stuff but…powerless against tasty tarts) 12 oz or 275g.
Half a cup of caster sugar (Ok this isn’t for the sugar free folks)
Quarter teaspoon of vanilla
3 egg yolks
I just mix all this together in a bowl, no specific order. (If you are someone who knows what order this should go in for scientific culinary reasons, do that, and I’m sorry I’m such a blunt instrument.)
Pour the resulting mixture into your cooled pie shell and bake it in the oven for 15 minutes.
Let it cool again… yes, I know, but it makes it better and nothing separates.
For the topping
I put the bowl I’m going to whip the cream in, in the freezer for a few minutes it seems to work better if everything is cold. I live in Australia and it’s warm here most of the time.
The zest of a lime
500ml cream
Half a cup of caster (fine) sugar.
Put the 500mls of cream and half a cup of sugar into the bowl and whip it till it’s stiff, takes 3 -5 minutes with electric beaters. Fold in your lime zest and then just dollop it onto the cooled tart, channel your inner plasterer for a smooth finish.
Put it in the fridge for as long as you can, I try and make these in the morning and they are usually good to go by evening meal time.
Look new bestie we just had our first adventure. x
Tell me how yours turned out.
