Passionfruit and Lime Tart

I’m sure we all have those days where everything we bake just isn’t quite right. Well lately I have been in a real baking funk. A few weeks of funk actually.  The summit of said funk was what I will describe as the epic mousse fail of 2013.  I know it is only February, so it may be a bit of a premature call, but that is how confident I am that it cannot get any worse.

Four foodie friends over for a Polish dinner {now mousse is not really Polish, but lets not go there} and bless hubby he had been talking up my desserts…what could possibly go wrong?!  Split Raspberry and White Chocolate Mousse is what! Sigh. So that was the real low of the month…but last night the funk was broken, thanks to a killer tart recipe by Belinda Jefferey from her new book ‘Desserts’ which was a beautiful Christmas present {thank you lovely Crott family!}.

Now forgive the un-styled photos, they were taken quickly before I served the Passionfruit and Lime Tart…on the off chance that it tasted as good as it looked. As usual I strayed from the recipe path and moulded the ‘Very lemony lemon tart’ recipe into a ‘Very passionfruity limey passionfruit lime tart’. Seriously maybe my penchant for straying from the path is part of my funk genius?

passionfruit & lime tart

This recipe is largely based on Belinda’s recipe, with just a bit of tweaking. I like a more buttery flavor in my pastry, so I have added half normal butter and just a little bit extra sugar so it isn’t too salty. This pastry is so delicious.

pastry – ingredients

• 225g plain flour
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 3 teaspoons grated lime zest
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 60 g un-salted butter
• 65 g butter
• 1/4 cup ice-cold water {I just used water straight from the fridge}

pastry – method

1. In a food processor with the blade attached blend the flour, sugar, salt and lime zest to mix then add the butter until it forms a breadcrumb consistency. 
2. Add the ice-cold water and mix until the dough forms into a ball. Pull the dough out and gently knead together. To make life easy form the dough into a flattened round if using a round tart  tin, or into a flattened sausage if using a long rectangular tin. Place in cling wrap and pop in the fridge for at least half an hour.
3. Once the pastry is cool and firm but still pliable, remove from the fridge and roll out to fit in your tart tin. Cut off the excess, leaving a bit of extra over-hang on your pastry as it may shrink slightly when baking.
4. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
5. Place the tart case into the fridge again for 30-45 minutes. This will help stop the dough from shrinking too much whilst baking.
6. Remove the tart case from the fridge and line it with a sheet of foil. Fill the foil with pastry weights or rice and blind bake for 20 minutes. Tip: Place the tart case/tin on a baking tray as it will make it easier to move around.
7. Once the case has baked for 20 minutes, remove from the oven to take away the foil and pastry weights/rice. Place the tart case back into the oven for a final 10 minutes.
8. Remove from oven when golden brown and set aside to cool.

passionfruit and lime curd – ingredients

• 5 large eggs
• 200g caster sugar
• 125g un-salted butter, melted
• 2 limes; zest and juice (approximately 1/4 cup juice)
• 100 ml passionfruit pulp, strained to remove seeds

passionfruit and lime curd – method

1. In a double-boiler saucepan {or a medium saucepan if you’re brave…I’m not brave} over a medium-low heat combine all ingredients and whisk until all combined.
2. Taste as you go, you may want a bit more lime for a more tart flavor or more sugar for a sweeter curd, it is up to you.
3. Continuously stir the curd, preferably with a flat edged spoon for approximately 5-8 minutes, or until the curd thickens and coats the back of the spoon.
4. As soon as it thickens remove from the stove and place in a heatproof jug.

finishing touches – method

1. Reduce oven temperature to 180 degrees C.
2. Gently pour the passionfruit and lime curd into the tart case. 
3. Place the the tart back into the oven for approximately 10 minutes until the curd firms up a bit, but not too much…it will continue to thicken as it cools.
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. If you’re hard up for time, which I was. I popped the tart into the fridge once it had cooled down a bit (on a heatproof plate) just to help it on its way.
5. Serve with a sprinkle of lime zest and coconut and a glass of vino.

Indulge me one last moment of self pity and reflection…doesn’t the table look like it would go beautifully with a Raspberry and White Chocolate Mousse nestled in a dark chocolate collar???

Emmy xx