Lemon and Native Finger Lime Macadamia Tart
Serves: 8
Recipe Credit: Jaharn Quinn
This is my take on the classic Lemon Curd Tart. I have pumped up the citrus levels to an all time high with the addition of native finger lime extract and fresh native finger lime caviar. I have made a sweet tart crust and have mellowed it out by blitzing native macadamia nuts into a meal and adding it to the dough. While the tart crust is subtly sweet thanks to the addition of icing sugar, adding macadamia meal takes it down a very subtle notch and compliments the citrusy zing of the lemon and native finger lime. It’s a party in your mouth, in the best kind of way.
Sweet Macadamia Tart Crust
- 1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt
- 125g cold salted butter
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Lemon & Native Finger Lime Curd
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp Native Finger Lime extract
- 3/4 cup fine white sugar
- 125g salted butter, cut into small pieces
This is my take on the classic Lemon Curd Tart. I have pumped up the citrus levels to an all time high with the addition of native finger lime extract and fresh native finger lime caviar. I have made a sweet tart crust and have mellowed it out by blitzing native macadamia nuts into a meal and adding it to the dough. While the tart crust is subtly sweet thanks to the addition of icing sugar, adding macadamia meal takes it down a very subtle notch and compliments the citrusy zing of the lemon and native finger lime. It’s a party in your mouth, in the best kind of way.
- Blitz macadamia nuts in a food processor until it resembles a coarse meal. Add flour, sugar and salt and blitz for a few seconds. Add butter and pulse one second on and one second off 15 times until the mixture is crumbly and resembles a coarse meal. Add egg and vanilla extract, pulse until the dough starts to come together and it’s no longer dry. Be mindful – don’t keep blitzing. You want to avoid a ball of dough forming.
- Generously dust a clean work surface with flour. Turn the crumbly dough out, gently knead a couple of times and form the dough into a ball using your hands. If it’s sticky, dust the ball with more flour then wrap tightly in cling film and place it in the fridge to rest for at least one hour.
- Generously dust a clean work surface with flour.Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it out a few times using a rolling pin. Flip it over, dust the surface of the dough with a little more flour and roll again.This is to ensure the dough doesn’t stick to the work surface. Dust with more flour if the dough is feeling sticky. Roll the dough into a circle and wide enough to cover your tart pan; I used this tart pan and the measurements are 23.5cm x 2.5cm. Lift the dough carefully (using your hands or the rolling pin) and place it gently into the tart pan. Trim the edges off using your fingers or a knife. Cover the pan tightly with cling film and place in the fridge until the dough is firm, usually about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180C. Take the tart out of the fridge, cover with a sheet of baking paper and fill the tart with dry uncooked rice, and bake it in the oven at 180C for 20 mins.Carefully remove the tart tin from the oven (keep the oven door closed while you do this to keep the heat escaping from the oven), lift the baking sheet with the rice on top off the tart, and place the tart shell back into the oven to bake for another 10 mins. The tart crust should look lightly golden in colour. Turn the oven off, take the tart out of the oven and let it cool completely on your kitchen bench.
- In a medium heat proof bowl whisk eggs, sugar, lemon juice, native finger lime extract. Place the bowl over a medium saucepan of simmering water. Cook on a moderate heat and whisk the mixture constantly until it becomes thick. This can take anywhere between 6 to 20 minutes. It should coat the back of a wooden spoon and if you run your finger through it, it should leave a clear pass.
- Remove the mixture from the heat, run it through a sieve and add two pieces of butter at a time. Whisk until the butter has melted, add the next two pieces of butter and keep repeating until all the butter has been incorporated into the curd. Take your time as whisking the butter in gradually will ensure the curd is light and airy. Adding cold butter will bring the curd down to room temperature. If it’s still feeling slightly warm, wait until it has completely cooled.
- Fill the tart shell with the lemon curd and refrigerate for at least 3 hours until it’s chilled and set. To serve, garnish the top of the curd tart with slices of fresh lemon and native finger lime caviar.
- I like to make the tart dough the night before. I usually make it at the same time I am making dinner, then the following day I bake the tart crust and make the filling.
- You can keep the tart dough in the fridge for up to three days.