-Fijian Food Safari
Bush lemons grow wild and organically in Fiji.
Pastry
500 g Plain flour
175 g Icing sugar
250 g Unsalted butter (not margarine!), at room temperature
1 vanilla pod, split open
1 grated zest of 1 bush lemon
1½ Eggs, beaten
Lemon filling
9 Eggs
400g Caster sugar
grated zest of 2 bush lemons
juice of 5 bush lemons
250 ml Whipping cream
3 sprig Fresh or dried lemon thyme leaves, chopped fine
Soak the thyme in the lemon juice for an hour, then strain out the leaves
Sift the flour and icing sugar on to a work surface and work in the butter. Make a well in the centre and add the lemon zest and seeds scraped from the vanilla pod. Add the eggs. Knead the mixture with your fingers, working as quickly as you can, until everything is combined to a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C
Grease a flan tin with a removable base that is 20 cm in diameter and 3.75 cm deep. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a disc large enough to line the tin and allowing an overhang of not less than 1 cm. Lay the pastry gently into the tin.
You need to blind bake the shells by weighing down the pastry with rice or lentils. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the rice and greaseproof paper and trim off the overhanging pastry, then return the flan case to the oven to bake for a further 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the lemon filling. Whisk the eggs with the caster sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in the herb lemon juice, then add the cream. Continue to whisk until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Skim any froth from the top.
Reduce the oven temperature 120°C. Pour the cold filling into the hot pastry case (this will insure that the case is sealed). Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool and set for about an hour.
Bush lemons grow wild and organically in Fiji.
Pastry
500 g Plain flour
175 g Icing sugar
250 g Unsalted butter (not margarine!), at room temperature
1 vanilla pod, split open
1 grated zest of 1 bush lemon
1½ Eggs, beaten
Lemon filling
9 Eggs
400g Caster sugar
grated zest of 2 bush lemons
juice of 5 bush lemons
250 ml Whipping cream
3 sprig Fresh or dried lemon thyme leaves, chopped fine
Soak the thyme in the lemon juice for an hour, then strain out the leaves
Sift the flour and icing sugar on to a work surface and work in the butter. Make a well in the centre and add the lemon zest and seeds scraped from the vanilla pod. Add the eggs. Knead the mixture with your fingers, working as quickly as you can, until everything is combined to a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C
Grease a flan tin with a removable base that is 20 cm in diameter and 3.75 cm deep. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a disc large enough to line the tin and allowing an overhang of not less than 1 cm. Lay the pastry gently into the tin.
You need to blind bake the shells by weighing down the pastry with rice or lentils. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the rice and greaseproof paper and trim off the overhanging pastry, then return the flan case to the oven to bake for a further 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the lemon filling. Whisk the eggs with the caster sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in the herb lemon juice, then add the cream. Continue to whisk until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Skim any froth from the top.
