As the weather slowly warms up and flowers bloom, desserts like this are just perfect and very fitting for the season. Not only is this strawberry lemon tart extremely easy to make it requires such few ingredients.
Why make this strawberry lemon tart?
Okay I have to be honest and say that I was completely astounded by how well this sets once chilled. The double cream plus lemon juice works to thicken and solidify the tart filling (more details about this below).
Combine this with an almond biscuit base and the result in an amazingly delicious tart. For a basic breakdown I used rich tea biscuits & almond flour for the base. Typically lemon tarts are made using a pastry base but to make this process quick it’s best to stick to a base that you’d typically find in cheesecakes.
I have to be honest and say that this does taste very similar to a cheesecake. Not 100 % but it is very close to it which is perfect if you’re a fan of the dessert.
You can use digestives or any other biscuit variety but you may need to adjust the recipe accordingly. For example digestives are higher in sugar and fat so remove 1 tbsp of butter and take into account the sweetness when it comes to adding the honey.
Lemon Tart Science??
Okay warning! A bit of baking science ahead. The process of making this strawberry lemon filling is actually similar to the process of making a lemon posset. Here’s an exert from Cooks Illustrated on the science behind combining cream with lemon.
“1. Lemon juice acidifies the cream, causing the casein proteins in the cream to clump.
2. Fat in the cream prevents the casein from clumping tightly; instead of curdling as milk would, the mixture thickens.
3. The sugar adds viscosity, giving the posset structure and a creamy texture.”
In this case it’s a strawberry lemon tart. Boiling it for slightly longer than you would a lemon posset thickens the filling enough so that it sets to a firm creamy texture once chilled. The longer it boils the firmer it becomes.
I’ve been slightly vague by suggesting 5 – 10 minutes but however long you boil it is totally up to you. If you prefer a fluffy creamy filling 5 minutes is sufficient. If you’d rather a dense smooth filling then 10 minutes is perfect.
Other than that, this recipe is so simple and quick to throw together. I hope everyone enjoys this one.
Strawberry Lemon Tart
A zesty strawberry lemon tart bursting with fresh fruits and complemented by a delectable almond crust.
Ingredients
Crust
- 10 (90 g) Rich tea biscuits
- 1 Cup (90 g) Almond flour (see notes) *
- 3 Tbsp (45 g) Butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- 2 Tsp Almond extract
- ¼ Tsp Salt, (Optional)
Filling
- 50 g Strawberries, frozen or fresh
- 1 ¼ Cup (300 ml) Double cream
- 3 Tbsp (55 g) Honey
- 1 Large lemon, approx. 4 tbsp lemon juice and zest
- ½ Tsp Vanilla extract
Instructions
Add biscuits into a food processor and blend to fine crumbs OR add biscuits to a freezer bag and crush them.
In a bowl along with the crushed biscuits, add the almond flour, butter, honey, almond extract and salt. Use a spoon to mix all of the ingredients together. Press crust into a 9-inch tart tin.
Place crust in an oven turned to 180 C (350 F) for 10 minutes (no need to preheat).
While it's baking, begin to puree the strawberries by adding 50 g to a high speed blender. Place strawberries into a fine mesh strainer and strain into a sauce pan pushing juice through using a spatula until the pulp is left. Discard pulp.
Add double cream, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla extract to the saucepan with the strawberry juice and whisk.
Bring the cream to a boil then simmer on a medium heat for 5 – 10 minutes. Once finished allow both the crust and filling to cool separately for 10 minutes on a counter top.
Use a spatula to scoop the filling into the tart tin and place in the fridge for 1 hour 30 minutes to set. Serve chilled with fresh strawberries.
Recipe Notes
* Add 90 grams of whole almonds into the food processor alongside the biscuits if you don’t have almond flour.
Adapted from a recipe by Half Baked Harvest.
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