Lemon Tart | Nakano Thrift Shop
'Hitomi, you must like pie.' '
Excuse me?'
’See here- cherry pie, lemon pie, millefeuille, and apple pie.’
Like a bird singing, Masayo cheerily recited the different pastries I had brought from Posy.
Nakano Thrift Shop
Hiromi Kawakami
My motivation is slowly coming back to me and that means the urge to read and bake is also returning. I haven’t read a book entirely for a good three months, I’ve had zero motivation and energy - turns out lockdown number 6 hits the hardest.
A friend from work dropped off an utter abundance of lemons from her mother’s backyard though, and trawling through previously dogmarked pages of books on my shelves made he glance to Nakano Thrift Shop - a delightful and surprisingly moving read. Obviously the mention of a lemon pie jumped out at me as i had a ridiculous amount of lemons to use up.
This tart is creamy with a perfect balance of sweet and sour. it’s perfect for the warming days of spring and so easy to make.
Lemon Tart
Ingredients
Tart case
420g plain flour
40g raw caster sugar
180g cold butter
150ml cold milk
Filling
200ml of lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
350ml coconut cream
2 tbsp corn flour
1/2 tsp agar agar
1 tsp vanilla extract
300g raw caster sugar
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
Combine the flour, sugar and butter together in a bowl. Using your fingers to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles wet sand.
Make a well in the middle and pour in the milk, mixing until it comes together with no lumps. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before use.
Once your tart pastry is ready, prepare a loose bottom tart pan by greasing the sides and bottom well. Preheat the oven to 160C.
Roll out the pastry until it is about 2 cms thick and then gently press it into the prepared case, let it hang over the edge and trim it until it is neat.
Line the tart case with baking paper and use dried beans, rice or baking beans to weigh it down before blind baking for 15 minutes with the pastry weighed down. And then another 10 without it. Remove and put to the side to cool.
To prepare the filling, in a medium saucepan combine the sugar, lemon juice, agar agar, corn flour and vanilla. Mix well.
Heat on a medium heat until it begins to thicken, making sure to continually stir to stop it sticking to the bottom. Now is a good time to stir in the turmeric powder, to give it a nice yellow colour.
Once the filling has thickened - if you draw a spoon across the top the drag marks should remain, you can remove from the heat. Pout into the prepared tart case and leave to cool for 3 hrs to overnight. Top with fruit or whatever you like and enjoy!