A Summery Passionfruit and Lemon Custard Tart

This passionfruit and lemon tart is the perfect summery dessert to bring to your festive gathering. The smooth and zesty custard filling inside a golden sweet pastry case will be sure to impress your guests. If you don’t feel like making your own pastry, this tart works just as well with a store bought pastry sheet - I love the Carême vanilla bean shortcrust you can find in the freezer section of most specialty stores.

Ingredients:
Vanilla Bean Shortcrust Pastry
250g plain flour
75g icing sugar
125g unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes 3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 tbsp water

Passionfruit Lemon Filling
7 egg yolks
165g cup caster sugar
165g passionfruit pulp (from around 3 large purple passionfruit)
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
250ml pouring cream
Icing sugar, to garnish


Method
Optional Pastry Step

1. To make the shortcrust pastry, blitz the flour, sugar and butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles a breadcrumb consistency. While the motor is still running, add egg yolks, one at a time, then add water, 1tbsp at a time, until a smooth dough forms. Lightly knead the dough then wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To make the tart:
2. Preheat oven to 180 degrees, fan forced. Grease a medium cake tin or a tart tin. Roll out your pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is approximately 4-5mm thick. Carefully place the rolled dough over the tin and press down to cover the base and sides. Trim any excess pastry with a sharp knife. Prick the base with a fork and refrigerate for a further 30 minutes.
3. Place a piece of baking paper over the dough. Add baking weights and bake the base for 10 minutes. Remove the baking paper and weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the pastry base is dry and golden. Reduce the oven temperature to 160 degrees.
4. Whisk together the egg yolks, caster sugar, lemon zest and passionfruit until smooth. Gradually add the cream and whisk until incorporated. Add filling into a jug for easy pouring.
5. Carefully pour the custard into the pastry case, you may like to do this while the tart is in the
oven to prevent spillage. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the filling is just set with a slight wobble. It will continue to set as it cools. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before refrigerating - this will prevent cracks. Cover tart in caster sugar and enjoy at room temperature or cold. Enjoy!

Notes:
Tart will last up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Uncooked rice can be used in the place of baking weights.