Little lemon tarts

For my mother in law's very special birthday afternoon tea something scrumptious was definitely in order. With their creamy and zesty lemon curd filling, a sweet, buttery pastry case, and a tart little raspberry on top, I knew these little treasures would be the perfect addition to her sweets table. So I reached out to my amazingly talented sweet-treat-extraordinaire bestie for her lemon curd recipe, which she has been gracious enough to permit me to share (thanks Nikki K xx).

You will need:

• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest (grated)
• 125gm butter, diced
• fresh raspberries
• sweet pastry cases (see notes below)

To make the lemon curd:

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to boil over a medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low
2. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a medium sized stainless steel or glass bowl until blended together.
3. Place the bowl over the water, and whisk in the butter until it is incorporated into the curd (make sure the bowl is the right size so as to fit snugly into the saucepan, without the water touching the bottom of the bowl).
4. Continue to whisk for about 5 minutes, or until the curd is thick and creamy and coats the back of a spoon.
5. Remove from the heat and continue whisking for about 10 minutes, or until most of the heat has dissipated.
6. Place the lemon curd in the fridge to cool completely. It is a good idea to press a piece of glad wrap directly onto the top of the curd, as this will prevent a 'skin' from forming over the surface. Also cover with an airtight lid. (I prepared my curd the day before so it is quite thick and cold by the time I need it, but it will keep for about 5 days).
7. To complete the tarts, remove the lemon curd from the fridge and remove the glad wrap layer.
8. Spoon your lemon curd into your pastry cases and fill to just below the rim, place a raspberry on top, and dust with icing sugar.

NOTES:

* I am lazy, and used pre-made pastry cases. You could make your own if you are so inclined, using maybe a ready to go sweet pastry, like Careme brand, or here is a recipe for making your own sweet short-crust pastry - I haven't used this recipe myself, but as it is one of Jamie Oliver's I trust it will be a pretty safe bet!

* I made 30 of these mini tarts, in cases that were about 2cm x 2cm, and had heaps of curd left over. Leftover curd is delicious with fresh scones and whipped cream, or in a little meringue nest with fresh berries and vanilla ice-cream, or would be great on pancakes.

Enjoy xx