Lemon Posset with Pistachio Shortbread Crumble & Macerated Berries
Serves 6
Lemon Posset
600ml cream
200g caster sugar
3 lemons, zest
75ml lemon juice
Pistachio Shortbread
125g butter, cold & diced
180g plain flour
55g caster sugar
60g Pistachio, roughly chopped
Macerated Berries
Mixed Berries for your choice, I love to use raspberries for this recipe
Icing Sugar
Lemon Juice
Method
To make the posset. Put the cream and sugar in a large saucepan and gently heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a simmer and bubble for 1 min.
Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice. Divide between glasses or bowls.
Cool to room temperature, then carefully cover and chill for at least 3 hrs, or up to 24 hrs.
To make the shortbread first heat your oven to 150C fan.
Rub the butter, flour, sugar and pistachio together with your fingertips until you have a crumble texture. Pour the mixture onto a lined baking tray and bake for 15-20 mins until pale golden. Allow to cool.
For the macerated berries. Chop the mixed berries and season with icing sugar and lemon juice to taste. Allow to stand for one hour before serving.
To serve the Possets, top with Berries and Shortbread crumble.
Gin, Lemon & Fuchsia Tart
Serves 10
For the Pastry
200g Plain Flour
100g Butter, cold
25g Icing Sugar
6 Juniper Berries
½ Lemon, Zest
1 Egg Yolk
1tbsp Gin
For the filling
5 Eggs
125ml Cream
225g Caster Sugar
2½ Lemons, using the Zest & the juice from all 3 including the ½ Lemon used in the pastry
4tbsp Gin
30g Fuchsia Flowers
To make the pastry: Start by chopping the juniper berries as fine as you can. I find that if you squash them with the side of a knife first it makes them easier to chop.
Add the flour, butter, icing sugar, chopped juniper berries and lemon zest to a food processor and pulse until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and gin and pulse again until the ingredients start to come together. Remove the bowl from the food processor and use your hands to bring the pastry together.
Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for about half an hour.
Grease a 23cm loose bottom tart tin and dust with flour
Place the pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll out to a circle measuring roughly 28cm in diameter. Carefully lift the pastry into the tin and gently press it into the corners and up the sides. Use a sharp knife to trim off any excess pastry. Place the unbaked tart in the fridge to chill for 30mins.
Preheat your oven to 160c fan
To blind bake the pastry: Take a sheet of nonstick baking paper that is big enough to line the bottom and sides of the tin and scrunch it into a ball several times. This makes the paper a lot more pliable and it will fit better into the corners. Cover the tart pastry base with the paper and fill with uncooked rice or dried beans and bake for 15mins. Take out of the oven and remove the rice or beans and paper and bake for another 15mins. Allow to cool for 10 mins. Note: Keep the rice / beans in a container for the next time you need to blind bake something.
To make the filling: In a large bowl simply mix all the ingredients together and then pour into a jug, this will make it easier to fill the tart.
Give the filling mixture a good stir to distribute the zest and pour half of the mixture into the tart case, arrange the fuchsia flowers into the mix and then carefully pour in the remainder of the filling. You may find this last step easier to do at the oven.
Bake for 25 – 35 minutes or until just set, there should be a slight wobble in the centre when you lightly shake the tart.
Allow to cool completely before serving
Note: Please feel free to use any gin you wish as well as any edible flowers. If you wish to leave out the gin altogether, use the zest of 3½ lemons and the juice for all 4.