Lime And Berry Tart (GF)

(makes a 35 x 12cm tart to serve 12)

Delicious, airy and light, this lime and berry tart is so simple to create. The other thing I love about it is its adaptability – just top it with whatever berries and edible flowers are in season at the time of creating. The perfect go-to dessert that will always please, I hope you enjoy making (…and ahem, eating it) as much as I do.

Serves: 12

For the tart case:

• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 cup GF plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
• 100g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt

For the lime curd:

• 3 egg yolks
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup white caster sugar
• 100g unsalted butter, cubed
• ¼ cup cream
• 2 teaspoons Queen’s lime baking paste

For the whipped cream:

• 1 cup thickened cream, cold (straight from the fridge)
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar mixture, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 punnet fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced horizontally (2mm thick slices)
• 1 punnet fresh raspberries
• Edible flowers, to garnish

Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 170C.
   
   
2. Place all the ingredients for the tart case into a bowl and stir to combine. Tip all the mixture into the tart tin and using the back of a teaspoon, press the crumbs evenly along the sides and bottom of the tin. Place in the oven and bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to completely cool.
   
   
3. Whisk the egg yolks, eggs and sugar in a saucepan until the mixture is completely smooth. Turn on your cooktop to a low-medium heat. Add the butter, cream and baking paste and continue to whisk over low-medium heat to ensure the mixture does not curdle and remains smooth.
   
   
4. Alternate between whisking and stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the wooden spoon. Be patient as this part of the process could take up to 10 minutes.
   
   
5. Once thickened, allow the curd to cool for about 15 minutes before pouring into the tart case. Spread evenly throughout the case and then pop the tart in the fridge for at least 2 hours to completely set.
   
   
6. To prepare the whipped cream, place the thickened cream, icing sugar mixture and vanilla extract in a large bowl and beat on a high speed until medium to stiff peaks form. Be careful though not to overbeat the cream.
   
   
7. To serve, spoon dollops of the whipped cream across the tart and level roughly with the back of a tablespoon. Place the berries in a line in the middle of the tart and garnish with the edible flowers. Carefully take the tart out of the tin and onto its serving plate. It is best served immediately however it will keep a day or two in the fridge.

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