Ever since I spied the High Tea blog hop I have been wracking my brain trying to think of what to bake! This is my first blog hop and I was getting the blog hop jitters! What recipe is worthy of high tea??
Then I went home.
Nothing like a trip out of the city to reconnect with why I love cooking and what it means to me. Don’t get me wrong, I love the city and the diversity of food here, but I love leaving it for the quiet open spaces I grew up with. The high teas offered at The Ritz, The Hilton and (who could omit) Buckingham Palace are a LONG way from rural New South Wales but I have got to say they would be doing well to beat a country afternoon tea where the “good china” is proudly on display. This is why I have chosen a simple little lemon tart, its simplicity and freshness is why it would be at home on a table laden with a full high tea spread…including the cucumber sandwiches.
little lemon tarts
This recipe is simple, but so lovely. The tartness of the lemon paired with the buttery pastry is heaven. This recipe has been adapted from a 1972 Australian Women’s Weekly Sweet and Savoury Pies.
lemon curd
ingredients
- 1 dessertspoon lemon rind
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (approximately two lemons)
- 1/2 caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 oz (28g) butter
method
- Place lemon rind, juice and sugar in the top of a double boiler saucepan over a medium heat. Stir to combine.
- Whilst stirring with a whisk add in butter and egg. Stir quickly to ensure egg combines with the mixture.
- Stir continuously until the curd thickens. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
pastry cases
ingredients
- 3 oz (85 g) butter
- 1/4 caster sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 cups plain flour
method
- In a mixer beat butter until creamy then add the sugar. Beat until it is just combined then add the beaten egg yolk, being careful not to over beat the mix.
- I am a fan of using my hands for this stage, it just makes the butter work in with the flour, so you can add the flour gradually stirring in by hand. Or alternatively, if you want to delay getting your hands too messy work in 2/3 of the flour with a wooden spoon then finish adding the rest of the flour by hand.
- Turn out onto a sheet of grease-proof paper, gently patting it down. Cover with another sheet of paper – this will keep things a bit cleaner. Roll out thinly, approximately 5mm thick, cut circles to fit a patty case tin.
- Bake in a moderate oven (approximately 170 degrees) for 10 minutes. Just keep an eye on them, you’ll know when they golden that they are ready to go!
assembly
When the tarts and curd are cool spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons of curd into each case. I like to assemble them right before serving just to keep the cases at their best.
Serve with a lovely cup of tea and enjoy! xx
blog hop
This Sweet Adventures blog hop is hosted by Jennifer publisher of le delicieux. Visit Jennifer’s website, le delicieux, or click on the Sweet Adventures image below to see some of the beautiful creations by other bloggers. Thanks for hosting Jennifer, it has been fun!
