Frying Pan Lemon Tart recipe

 

My take anywhere, lovely Lemon Tart is initially cooked in a frying pan on the stovetop, and then transferred to the oven to bake for only 15 minutes. So simple to make. It's packed with delightful lemon citrus flavours and is luscious and light to eat. It reminds me of a Lemon Delicious Dessert cheesecake, without the lemon sauce. 

This is originally a recipe from Australian chef David Herbert, a former cooking columnist at the Saturday Weekend Australian newspaper, which I found quite a while ago, and it continues to be a favourite. The only equipment requirement is a 20 cm non-stick frying pan with an oven proof handle (imperative), and a good set of oven mitts or gloves, which are needed to lift the pan from the oven by the handle. The ingredients in this recipe can easily be doubled for a larger frypan.

Lemon tart featured on a James Kent Limited, bone china Apple Blossom design plate.

I used a lemon from our potted backyard lemon tree to make this tart, which I think is a Eureka lemon variety, and the tree seems to produce lemons all year round. They are less acidic than a lot of lemons, and perfect for cooking with. However, any lemons can be used.

Let's cook:

Ingredients:

Serves 4

4 medium free-range eggs
125g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
pinch of salt
30g unsalted butter
50g ground almonds
125ml (1/2cup) single or thickened cream
50g flaked almonds
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon (I used 1/2 cup of lemon juice)
icing sugar for dusting

Equipment:

You will need a 20cm frying pan with an ovenproof handle, for this recipe.

Let's Cook:

Preheat the oven to 210 deg. C (fan-forced 190 deg. C). Beat the eggs in a large bowl.
Add the sugar, a pinch of salt, the ground almonds, cream, flaked almonds, lemon zest and lemon juice, beating well to combine.

Melt the butter in a 20cm frying pan with an ovenproof handle, over a low heat. Ensure the whole pan is well greased.

When the foam subsides and it is sizzling nicely, tip in the egg mixture, tilting the pan so it spreads evenly.

Cook over a low heat until the edges begin to set, then transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. 

It should ideally be golden brown on top and on the base, so if necessary pop the pan under the grill for a moment or two longer. I needed to do this.

Leave to cool, then transfer to a serving plate using a palette knife. Not being a chef, I tipped mine onto a dinner plate, by placing the top of the  plate on top of the frying pan, and then tipped the tart back onto the plate. Then flip the tart onto your serving plate using the same method, so that the browned surface is at the top.

Dust with icing sugar before serving and accompany with ice cream or yoghurt.

David Herbert suggests that if you are having this for dessert, serve with a late harvest sweet wine such as a Riesling. Very nice. Otherwise, it is delicious with a good coffee for morning or afternoon tea.

Cook's notes:

•  The original recipe states that this tart size serves 6-8 people. I would suggest this serves 4 people adequately, and then they will receive a nicely sized serving. I hate to scrimp with serving sizes. The size of the frying pan for this recipe is a small one, suitable for making an omelette in. I was a bit surprised at the size of the pan to start with, but it worked well with these ingredients.
• To feed more people, double the mixture size and cook in a larger pan. My Mahjong friend Lulu, has served us this tart at Mahjong and doubled the size, to serve 8 of us.
• This is one of those convenient desserts that can be cooked early in the morning before work, and keeps well for pudding that evening, or for afternoon tea if you come home early from work, or if you would like to have it ready for the family for afternoon tea, after school perhaps?
• This lemon tart  is delicious served with ice cream, whipped cream or dusted with icing sugar on top.
• With all those eggs included in the ingredients, it is quite nutritious for everybody as well as being delicious.
• I used thickened cream, although the original recipe listed single cream.
• This tart isn't too sweet.

Afternoon tea at Mahjong, last year sometime.

Now that it is just the two of us at home, and without any family in town either, dessert during the week is often just yoghurt and fruit, or a little chocolate. However, I still cook  dinner every evening, but I am realising that not everyone does. When we were both working and our two children still lived at home, between us we managed to cook a nutritious family meal every night for dinner, and when they were growing into hungry teenagers, I would often try to make a simple dessert during the week such as Apple Crumble, a baked custard, a rice pudding, or a self saucing chocolate pudding, which they loved. I wish I'd had this recipe back then. 

Now, I generally save making desserts for the weekend, although I did make this Lemon Tart mid-week last week when we had some extra lemons, and I was really feeling like dessert and I had a little bit of time. Do you know the feeling? I made the small version, next time I will be doubling the quantity so we can eat it over a couple of days as well. 

Here's a little story to finish off with. I sometimes love using this pretty bone china Apple Blossom plate, which belonged to my Mum, in my food photographs. Strangely though, I've never researched it's history before. So here goes. It was made by James Kent Ltd., which was based in the Foley China Works, at Longton, in Staffordshire, England (c.1897-1980s). James Kent was a prolific English pottery manufacturer known for his high quality earthenware, chintz patterns and bone china. I am excited that he was particularly famous for chintz patterns like Apple Blossom which is what the design of this plate is. Their items often featured floral designs, gold gilt, and there is gold around the edge of this plate, and from the 1930s-1950s, a very prolific period, he was known for vibrant, embossed, or transfer-printed scenes. I've been self indulgent here, and while I am trying to scale down and become somewhat more minimalist, I love how pretty this plate is and can't bear to part with it. Also, it doesn't go anywhere near the dishwasher, ha, ha.

Enjoy your week, and I will catch up with you soon.

Bye for now

Pauline