Winter is citrus season — oranges, lemons, mandarins, clementines, grapefruit are all plentiful and inexpensive (limes, on the other hand, are not). Now is the time to be putting these beauties to good use, and there are plenty of ways you can do that.
A glass of freshly squeezed juice is an entirely different drink to bottled juice and makes for a great start to the day and, of course, an orange or mandarin is perfect for popping into lunch boxes.I like to think of ways of preserving them too — think marmalade, preserved lemon, citrus curds and tangy relishes.Of all the citrus fruits, the one I couldn’t live without is the humble lemon. It’s one of my desert island ingredients.A squeeze of lemon juice or a smattering of finely grated rind makes almost any dish better!And then there are the dishes where lemon is the hero ingredient. There’s so much to love about a classic lemon delicious pudding; the delicate custard base and fluffy cake-like top. I’m pretty partial to a mouth-puckeringly tangy lemon sorbet too (although admittedly less so in winter).But top of my lemon list would have to be a classic lemon tart. This is one dessert I have difficulty walking away from. I think I could almost devour an entire tart in one go, although I’m yet to test that theory.The key to a perfect lemon tart is to get each component right. What you’re after is a melt-in-the-mouth pastry case, rolled thin and baked until crisp and dark golden brown. The French tend to bake their pastry a lot darker than we do here, and I take this approach with a lemon tart. I’ve added a little finely grated lemon rind to my pastry to layer up the lemony goodness and to make sure none of the lemon goes to waste.Getting the filling right is equally important. It needs to be tangy and tart, with a smooth-as-silk texture. It’s all about the right proportion of sweetness to sourness and eggs to cream, as well as baking the filling for the right amount of time. Check on the custard halfway through the cooking time by giving the tart tin a gentle shake. The filling should be noticeably liquid in the centre beneath a just-set top. Check again every five minutes after that until there’s only the slightest wobble in the centre, then take it out of the oven and cool to room temperature before serving.This tart is pretty much perfect in its elegant simplicity, and could be served as is, with just a slight dusting of icing sugar and perhaps a dollop of thick cream. Or layer up the lemon a little more and top with thin slices of lemon, simmered in a light sugar syrup until tender and translucent. Whatever you choose to do, make sure you eat it on the day it’s made to fully appreciate it. My guess is there’ll be no leftovers anyway.