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I'm going to attempt my first one on Thursday.  I've found a recipe from Woman's Weekly online (bwahahaha, I feel middle aged now) but just wondering if anybody here has their own special recipe they might like to share or any tips, etc?  I'm ashamed to say that I'm a really impatient cook and if things don't go right after 2-3 attempts - it usually ends up in the bin! ::) ;D

This is the one I'm going to try. Does it seem ok?

For the pastry:

150g (5oz) plain flour
Pinch of salt
100g (3½oz) unsalted butter
50g (1¼oz) caster sugar
1 medium egg
Few drops of vanilla extract
For the filling:

3 medium eggs
100g (3½oz) caster sugar
142ml carton double cream
Finely zested rind and juice of 3 lemons
Icing sugar, for dusting
23cm (9in) fluted flan tin

Method

To make the pastry: Place all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and whizz until the mixture starts to bind together. Alternatively, tip the flour and salt into a bowl, and add the butter, cut into chunks. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and then add the egg and vanilla extract, and mix to bind the ingredients together.

Tip the dough out on to a floured worktop and knead it very lightly to give a smooth surface, then roll it out and use it to line the flan tin. Chill the pastry case for at least 15 minutes. Set the oven to Gas Mark 5 or 190°C and place a baking sheet in the oven to heat up.

Line pastry case with a sheet of baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake for 12 minutes, then carefully lift out the parchment paper with the baking beans and return the case to the oven for a further 3-5 minutes, or until light golden. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to Gas Mark 4 or 180°C.
To make the filling: Beat the eggs, then add sugar, cream and lemon rind and juice, and mix well. Pour mixture into the pastry case, filling it almost to the top.

Bake the tart in the centre of the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the edges of the filling have set and it is just slightly wobbly in the centre. Remove from the oven, slide the flan tin on to a wire rack and leave the tart to cool in the tin for about 20-30 minutes. Remove from the tin and leave to cool completely. Chill the tart well, and dust it with icing sugar just before serving.

Top tip: Try to keep the pastry very cool, and handle it as little as possible to make it really short, crumbly and melt-in-the mouth.

I haven't done tarte au citron in years but it was featured on The Great Biritish Bake Off last week.  The contestants had to cook May Berry's recipe which you can find here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/tarte_au_citron_94480

She uses more eggs and lemon for the filling than the WW recipe so it'll be more lemony and luscious.

I usually buy ready made and rolled pastry now as I can get good stuff made with butter rather than vegetable oils.   Can't make pastry for toffee.  S'pose I ought to try again really.

I adore tarte au citron, and have only ever bought it (hangs head in shame). So will follow these suggestions with interest  :)

Good luck for Thursday  ;D

Personally I would drop the fancy pastry. I have tried them all over the years, and find when you start over -doing the butter and adding egg it's not so well behaved. My tried and tested recipe is suitable for both savoury and sweet, made by hand and always gets favourable comments. Just the basic, twice the amount of plain flour to fat, the fat content being half butter and half lard, mixed with ice cold water and left to 'rest' in the fridge for a short while before use. Short and crumbly, never lets me down!

Obbelix, I will take that recipe instead, thanks :)

Off to buy my ingredients now.  If it comes out ok tomorrow, I'll post a pic.  If not, I'll keep quiet ...  ;D

Thanks all :)

Good luck.  Never mind what it looks like.  It's taste that counts.  Reports please.

It's actually really easy to make, even though it looks complicated! Hardest bit is the pastry but I have made it with shopbought pastry and it's fine.

Well SamLouise..you've kept quiet about the results..surely it didn't turn up that bad?
Still, I bet it tasted nice... ;)

Well, I was isnpired to rustle one up for Saturday's dinner since Possum had a friend staying over.  It was so easy and so delicious I made it again for a committee meeting last night and it all got scoffed.   

Quote from: Obbelix on August 30, 2011, 14:57:50
I haven't done tarte au citron in years but it was featured on The Great Biritish Bake Off last week.  The contestants had to cook May Berry's recipe which you can find here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/tarte_au_citron_94480

She uses more eggs and lemon for the filling than the WW recipe so it'll be more lemony and luscious.

I usually buy ready made and rolled pastry now as I can get good stuff made with butter rather than vegetable oils.   Can't make pastry for toffee.  S'pose I ought to try again really.

OH made one after seeing that prog with that recipe - It was lovely - thoroughly recommended

Quote from: goodlife on September 06, 2011, 11:34:12
Well SamLouise..you've kept quiet about the results..surely it didn't turn up that bad?
Still, I bet it tasted nice... ;)

Oops, I haven't gotten around to making it yet, lol.  I was going to make it for when my OH got back from a business trip but he didn't fly in until about 11pm so I thought I'd make it the next day, which turned into the next day, which turned into ...  :-[

I do have plans to make it this weekend though! ;D