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HI guys,
Just thought I'd let you know that the 8 lemon recipe was wonderfully sharp and set beautifully. It does mellow nicely the next day. The only thing is there was too much filling for an 11 inch tart tin, I'm trying a 12 inch one tomorrow so there'll be less waste...
Thanks all for your suggestions.
Oh and on the pastry discussion, I added enough filling to cover the base of a blind baked pastry case, which had JUST been cooked and was still in the oven. Waited a minute before filling the case halfway. Waited a few minutes and topped it off. And it worked :-)

sorry my mistake I meant real lemon oil or extract apart from that the UK is not know for having lemons growing year round and so the lemons we get where I live are not as so good the oil helps zest them up a bit.

Uh yuk!

Why do so many of these threads want to use what ain't natual use real lemons! The pastry is supposed to be short. I just love it here in Italy it is so common.

Have a look at Simon Rimmers one, no need to reinvent the wheel. See? The filling should not look like a drink but a sauce. Have a go it is so easy anyone can do it. But please use the real thing!

hiya,

Lakelands is an online shop, but lemon essence can be brought from most supermarkets. But make sure to get essence and not flavour as its not as intense and often sweet.

Hope this helps let us know how you get on!

Lynne

Thanks guys, you've been really helpfull. I definately try out your tips Gastrovolpe, I see great logic in your methods ;-) you know your stuff. I'll see if I can find the lemon essence in a deli over here...excuse my ignorance but what's lakelands (I live in Ireland, perhaps it's a store chain we don't have over here?). I was speaking to a chef yesterday who suggested the following: 8 eggs, 1pt of double cream, 8 lemons, 1lb caster sugar, so I'm going to give it a try..hope I don't end up with a lemon soup!!

How about Simon Rimmer's recipe for Lemon Tart on this site............it only uses 7 lemons not 8 tho.

The recipe is neither here or there, but the reason your pastry is absorbing the filling may be that it's too 'short'. In other words there's too much fat in the recipe for the pastry which will make it excessively crumbly. Try baking another case with half the quantity of fat and raise the oven temperature a little and for a shorter time.
As for the recipe for the filling try a bottle of lemon essence from lakeland and add enough to give you the acidity you seek. The juice from 8 lemons is going to make a drink not a tart!

Eimear, have you tried Jamie Oliver's Lemon and Lime Cream Tart (from his first book) and maybe just using lemons and zest and omitting limes? His original recipe is really sharp- delicious.
Try egg washing the uncooked tart shell before adding the filling.

Hi Snoozy,
I tried just that yesterday and was convinced it would work...but it didn't. I chill the filling overnight so it won't split during cooking but perhaps because it's so cold it seeps into the case before starting to cook....I don't know, I'm just guessing. If I bring the filling back to room temp will it split?

dont know recipe but for pastry case, bake it blind then brush it with egg white to seal it!