Lemon curd and chocolate tart
The sweet, sharp flavour of the tart filling goes beautifully with the bitter-sweet chocolate base. If you have any of this quick and easy lemon curd left over, keep it in the fridge for spreading on toast or muffins.
Cook's notes
This works well in a 23cm diameter tart/flan tin, but will also sit happily in one slightly smaller, down to 21cm.
Ingredients
for the lemon curd
- 2 eggs
- finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
- 200g caster sugar
- 100g unsalted butter, diced
for the tart
- 100g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
- 100g unsalted butter, diced
- 250g digestive biscuits, whizzed into crumbs in a food processor (or put in a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin)
- 3 eggs
- 350g lemon curd
- 150ml double cream
- finely grated zest of 2 lemons
to decorate (optional)
- 25g dark chocolate
Method
To make the lemon curd
-
Step 1
lightly beat the eggs in a small saucepan. Add the lemon juice, sugar and butter. Heat very gently to melt the butter and sugar crystals, stirring constantly. When the butter and sugar have melted, keep stirring on the heat for another few minutes. Keep the heat very low to prevent the eggs from curdling.
-
Step 2
As soon as the mixture starts to thicken and has the consistency of thin custard, remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Leave to cool, then keep in the fridge.
To make the tart
-
Step 1
bring a pan of water up to simmering point. Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl (it should fit snugly over the pan), without letting the bowl touch the water. Simmer to melt the chocolate and butter.
-
Step 2
Put the biscuit crumbs in a large bowl. Pour over the melted chocolate mixture and stir well to thoroughly combine. Spread into the tin and use your fingers to firmly and evenly press the mixture over the bottom and sides. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
-
Step 3
Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas 4. In a large jug, lightly beat the eggs together. Add the lemon curd, cream and lemon zest and stir together. Pour the lemon mixture into the tart tin and put on a baking tray on the middle shelf of your oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until just set. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin.
To decorate your tart
-
Step 1
melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, as before. Carefully spoon into a piping bag with a small single-hole nozzle and pipe lines across the tart.
