Grey Skies and a Lemon Tart

 

We woke to the rumble of thunder in the distance, a rather angry looking sky, and a whole lot of washing that was absolutely not going to dry. It was a miserable day, and yet I can solemnly swear that my first thought was along the lines of "what a perfect morning for a spot of baking".

What better way to brighten your day than whipping up a sunny lemon tart? And besides, this is no ordinary dessert...it's a healthier twist on an old classic and is so scrumptious it barely lasts a second in our house.

I must admit this recipe is not entirely of my own creation, the fabulous Luise and David over at greenkitchenstories can take the credit for that. However, I must share this delightful dessert with our Shorties crew, simply for that fact that I cannot stop making it! So without further ado, pop on your aprons and follow me.

Note: Please don't be frightened by ingredients such as agave syrup. Apart from being available at your friendly local health food store, co-op or even supermarket, you could absolutely substitute it with honey or maple syrup. Having said that, agave is a really neat sweetener and it works a treat in this recipe.

Ingredients

for the pie crust:
200 g mixed nuts (we used almonds and cashews)
10 fresh dates
100 g cold butter, cubed
2/5 cup (55 g) buckwheat flour
2 tsp cinnamon

for the lemon filling::
75 g butter
1 1/3 cup soy milk
1 vanilla pod
2 small lemons (juice and zest)
6 tbsp agave syrup
2 egg yolks
1 egg
4 tbsp corn flour

Pop the nuts and (pitted) dates into the blender and grind it all up nicely. It’s totally okay for there to be lumps, but you may need to give the dates a little prodding in between blends, as they tend to be both stubborn and sticky.

Tip your nut mixture into a bowl with the cubed butter, cinnamon and buckwheat flour and use your fingers to work it all together. Once it’s all combined, pop it into a tart tin and use your fingers again to spread it out evenly along the bottom and sides of the pan. Now just prick it a couple of times with a fork and chuck it in the fridge while you make the custard. That was easy!

Heat the butter, soy milk and vanilla pod in a saucepan on medium heat. Add lemon juice, zest and agave syrup. Bring to the boil while stirring, then lower the temperature and let it simmer for about five minutes. You can fish out the vanilla pod now, then set aside the mixture to cool.

In another bowl whisk egg yolks, egg and corn flour with a hand whisk until everything is combined. Keep whisking and slowly pour in your lemony mixture. Mix until combined. 

At this point it is going to smell amazing. Resist the urge to eat the custard up as is, and instead carefully pour it into the tart pan, and pop it all in the oven at 170C for 20 minutes. A word of warning: the crusts can burn quite suddenly so do keep an eye on things.

Allow your tart to cool before serving and enjoy!