Try This Super Summery Gin and Tonic Lemon Tart
This delicious gin and tonic lemon tart, with candied citrus fruits and golden pastry, is the perfect summer dessert
- 1 x shortcrust pastry block
- For the lemon curd filling
- 3 tbsp Eden Mill Burgundy White Wine Cask Aged Gin
- 4 lemons
- 250g caster sugar
- 225g unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature
- 4 medium eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp juniper berries, crushed
- 2 sheets leaf gelatine
- For the candied citrus
- 175g caster sugar
- 100ml tonic water
- 100ml water
- 1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
- 1 lime, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp Eden Mill Burgundy White Wine Cask Aged Gin
Grease and line a 23cm flan tin. Roll out the pastry to about 3mm thick, then lift it carefully into the flan tin, pressing into the sides.
Cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
Prick the pastry all over with a fork then line with baking parchment and baking beans (or rice) and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the paper and baking beans. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes, or until cooked and golden. Set aside and when cool enough to handle, remove from the tin and cool completely on a cooling rack.
To make the curd, in a large heatproof bowl whisk together the gin, zest and juice from the lemons, caster sugar, butter, eggs and juniper berries. Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Allow the butter to melt then cook for 10–15 minutes, stirring regularly. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
Meanwhile, soak the gelatine in a bowl of cold water until softened. When the curd is ready, remove from the heat. Squeeze the water from the gelatine and stir into the curd, until fully melted. Strain through a sieve into a bowl. Cover the surface with clingfilm, to stop it forming a skin, and set aside to cool completely.
Once cooled, pour the lemon curd into the pastry case, spreading it to the edges. Chill in the fridge for at least four hours, or overnight if you can, to set.
To make the candied lemon, put the sugar, tonic and water into a pan and gently heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a simmer and add the lemon and lime slices, simmering for 45 minutes.
Once the fruit is soft and the syrup has thickened, remove from the heat and add the gin. Leave for five minutes, then remove the fruit from the pan using tongs and place on a cooking rack to cool. Set the syrup aside to cool.
When you are ready to serve, decorate the top of the tart with the candied citrus and drizzle with the syrup.
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