Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows
Raspberry, Pistachio and Lemon Tart
Prep. Time:
Baking Time:
Total Time:
45 mins
30 mins
3 hours 15 mins
Serves:
One 14x4 in / 35x11 cm rectangular tart (8 slices)
Cathryn created this dish for the Great British Bake Off ™ Series 3. Her rectangular tart was the only non-round showstopper of the round: Paul admired its regimented, Parisian look and nice colour on the side, while Mary loved that it broke from the field of round tarts, and both judged the thin ba...
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Ingredients
FOR THE PISTACHIO SWEETCRUST PASTRY: 1¾ cups (220 g) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra to dust ½ cup (60 g) shelled unsalted pistachios, finely ground ⅓ cup (45 g) icing (powdered) sugar ¼ tsp (1 g) fine salt ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, cold 1 large egg yolk, plus 1–2 tsp ice water if needed
FOR THE LEMON CURD CREAM: 3 large eggs, plus 1 extra yolk ¾ cup (150 g) caster (superfine) sugar 3 large lemons — zest of all 3 plus ⅔ cup (150 ml) juice ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, cubed ½ cup (120 ml) double (heavy) cream, whipped, to fold through when cool
FOR THE RASPBERRY & PISTACHIO FINISH: 2 cups (250 g) fresh raspberries, choose even, firm berries 3 tbsp (60 g) apricot jam, warmed and sieved, for a light glaze 3 tbsp (25 g) shelled pistachios, roughly chopped, to scatter
EQUIPMENT: 14x4 in (35x11 cm) rectangular loose-based tart tin Food processor Baking beans and parchment Fine grater/zester Fine-mesh sieve Medium heavy saucepan Sugar thermometer Palette knife Piping bag (optional)
Method
STEP 1: MAKE THE PISTACHIO SWEETCRUST
Blitz the flour, ground shelled pistachios, icing sugar and salt to a fine powder. Add the cold butter and pulse to fine crumbs, then add the egg yolk (and a little ice water only if needed) until the dough just clumps. Bring together, flatten into a block, wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. Pitching the butter a shade lower than a standard rich sweetcrust and reducing the sugar targets the greasy base the judges flagged, without touching the thin, well-coloured bake they praised.
STEP 2: LINE AND BLIND-BAKE THE RECTANGULAR CASE
Roll the pastry thinly — keep it thin, as Mary praised the nice thin layer of pastry — and line the rectangular tin, patching any cracks with offcuts. Chill again for 20 minutes so the case holds its shape. Line with parchment and baking beans and blind-bake at 375°F (190°C) for 15 minutes, then remove the beans and bake 8–12 minutes more until fully set, dry and golden. Rest the baked shell briefly on kitchen paper to draw off surface grease while keeping the praised colour, then cool completely.
STEP 3: COOK THE LEMON CURD CREAM
In a heavy saucepan off the heat, whisk the eggs, extra yolk and caster sugar, then the lemon zest and juice — the zest of all three lemons plus a full ⅔ cup of juice is the flavour correction both judges asked for. Add the butter and cook gently, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 175°F / 80°C on a sugar thermometer); do not boil. Pass through a fine-mesh sieve and cool fully, then fold through the whipped double cream for a light, set, intensely lemony filling.
STEP 4: FILL AND FINISH
Spoon or pipe the lemon curd cream into the cooled case and level it. Arrange the raspberries neatly over the top in ordered rows — keeping faith with the regimented, Parisian look Paul admired — then brush the berries with warmed, sieved apricot jam for shine and scatter chopped pistachios along the long edges.
STEP 5: SET AND SERVE
Chill for at least 1 hour so the cream firms and slices cleanly. Serve in neat rectangular slices; because the filling is set curd rather than a loose cream, the tart cuts to crisp edges — the display-window finish the showstopper brief was chasing.
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Instructions
FOR THE PISTACHIO SWEETCRUST PASTRY:
1¾ cups (220 g) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra to dust
½ cup (60 g) shelled unsalted pistachios,(/interesting-ingredients/shelled-pistachios) finely ground
⅓ cup (45 g) icing (powdered) sugar
¼ tsp (1 g) fine salt
½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, cold
1 large egg yolk, plus 1–2 tsp ice water if needed
FOR THE LEMON CURD CREAM:
3 large eggs, plus 1 extra yolk
¾ cup (150 g) caster (superfine) sugar
(/interesting-ingredients/caster-sugar)3 large lemons — zest of all 3 plus ⅔ cup (150 ml) juice
½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, cubed
½ cup (120 ml) double (heavy) cream, whipped, to fold through when cool
FOR THE RASPBERRY & PISTACHIO FINISH:
2 cups (250 g) fresh raspberries, choose even, firm berries
3 tbsp (60 g) apricot jam, warmed and sieved, for a light glaze
3 tbsp (25 g) shelled pistachios,(/interesting-ingredients/shelled-pistachios) roughly chopped, to scatter
EQUIPMENT:
14x4 in (35x11 cm) rectangular loose-based tart tin
Food processor
Baking beans and parchment
Fine grater/zester
Fine-mesh sieve
(/cooking-equipment/fine-mesh-sieve)Medium heavy saucepan
Sugar thermometer
(/cooking-equipment/sugar-thermometer)Palette knife
Piping bag (optional)
Heading 5
Ingredients
STEP 1: MAKE THE PISTACHIO SWEETCRUST
Blitz the flour, ground shelled pistachios, icing sugar and salt to a fine powder. Add the cold butter and pulse to fine crumbs, then add the egg yolk (and a little ice water only if needed) until the dough just clumps. Bring together, flatten into a block, wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. Pitching the butter a shade lower than a standard rich sweetcrust and reducing the sugar targets the greasy base the judges flagged, without touching the thin, well-coloured bake they praised.
STEP 2: LINE AND BLIND-BAKE THE RECTANGULAR CASE
Roll the pastry thinly — keep it thin, as Mary praised the nice thin layer of pastry — and line the rectangular tin, patching any cracks with offcuts. Chill again for 20 minutes so the case holds its shape. Line with parchment and baking beans and blind-bake at 375°F (190°C) for 15 minutes, then remove the beans and bake 8–12 minutes more until fully set, dry and golden. Rest the baked shell briefly on kitchen paper to draw off surface grease while keeping the praised colour, then cool completely.
STEP 3: COOK THE LEMON CURD CREAM
In a heavy saucepan off the heat, whisk the eggs, extra yolk and caster sugar, then the lemon zest and juice — the zest of all three lemons plus a full ⅔ cup of juice is the flavour correction both judges asked for. Add the butter and cook gently, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 175°F / 80°C on a sugar thermometer); do not boil. Pass through a fine-mesh sieve and cool fully, then fold through the whipped double cream for a light, set, intensely lemony filling.
STEP 4: FILL AND FINISH
Spoon or pipe the lemon curd cream into the cooled case and level it. Arrange the raspberries neatly over the top in ordered rows — keeping faith with the regimented, Parisian look Paul admired — then brush the berries with warmed, sieved apricot jam for shine and scatter chopped pistachios along the long edges.
STEP 5: SET AND SERVE
Chill for at least 1 hour so the cream firms and slices cleanly. Serve in neat rectangular slices; because the filling is set curd rather than a loose cream, the tart cuts to crisp edges — the display-window finish the showstopper brief was chasing.
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