This year, we decided to celebrate Imbolc by making what the girls call “sunshine tarts” – pretty much they are lemon curd tarts, but I love this description and that is what they shall be from now on! They are bright and sunny and add a touch of colour on a gloomy winter’s day. A perfect reminder that the season is about to turn and that spring is just around that corner.
These are pretty easy to make, but do take a little bit of patience. The original recipe I found called for infusing the butter with rosemary and lavender, but I chose to go with linden flower and lavender that I foraged last season, and the pairing worked well together! I encourage you to experiment with different flavours of herbs and see which combo you like best!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
zest of 2 organic lemons
3 large eggs
3/4 cane/demerara sugar
pinch of salt
tsp of dried lavender flowers
tsp of dried linden flowers
5 tbsp butter
Puff pastry or ready made tart shells (or make your own if you are more talented than I am!)
Method:
Place the butter in a small saucepan and melt on low heat. Add your dry herbs and stir. Put your pan on your smallest burner and on the lowest setting and allow to infuse for around an hour. Alternatively, allow to infuse for a couple of hours, only occasionally turning the heat on under the pan and giving it a stir. Then strain out the herbs and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, zest and salt until nice and frothy.
Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over medium/low heat while stirring continuously, until the curd begins to thicken (around5 or 6 minutes). You know it is ready when you can run the spoon through the curd and it leaves a clear path. Remove from heat and pour through a mesh strainer to remove any bits and the zest pieces.
Turn the heat back on low and pour in the strained butter. Cook and stir until the butter is fully incorporated. When the curd is cooked set it aside to cool to room temperature. In the meantime, if you are making the tart shells with the puff pastry, cut your pastry into circles that fit large cupcake tins. Place (baking or dried) beans into the centre and then bake until golden. I also sprinkles a little bit of sugar around the edges for a sweet touch. Allow your tarts to cool fully before you put the filling in.
When the tarts and filling are ready, spoon the filling into the tarts. Top with a lavender flower or other herb and place in the fridge to set fully, or, if you can’t resist, eat it right away!
I hope you enjoy making these, for Imbolc, and for any other time of the year where you need a happy treat!