Emelia Jackson’s lemon, lime and bitters tartlets with a ‘dream’ curd you’ll want to eat by the spoonful

Take a refreshing mixed drink and turn it into a luxurious dessert that’s tart, sweet and bitter in all the right ways.

March 23, 2024

Emelia Jackson’s lemon, lime and bitters tartlets.Armelle Habib; STYLING: Lee Blaylock

Time:30 mins - 1 hourMakes:12

These tartlets are smooth, tangy, creamy and beautifully rounded out with a subtle bitterness. They’re filled with my dream lemon curd, made even more luxurious with the addition of lime and bitters. The curd has been thoroughly tested to ensure it’s beautifully thick and stable, making it perfect for mini tarts, layering into cakes (no ooze in sight!), or eating right out of the jar with a spoon.

Technique of the month: Smooth, luscious curd

The trick to getting a nice, stable and rich curd is to use egg yolks only in the base mix, and the right quantity of butter for both richness and stability. Adding cornflour not only thickens the curd but also prevents the egg yolks from curdling. Setting time is also important here – I like to make my curd well in advance. It freezes well (and can be stored in the freezer for up to three months).

Ingredients

200g plain flour
120g unsalted butter, cold and diced
60g icing sugar
1 egg
whipped cream, to serve
¼ lemon, thinly sliced, for garnish
¼ lime, thinly sliced, for garnish

Lemon, lime and bitters curd

6 egg yolks
170g caster sugar
20g cornflour
50ml lemon juice
50ml lime juice
zest of 2 lemons
zest of 2 limes
125g unsalted butter, diced
5-6 dashes bitters

Method

Step 1
For the tartlet shells, combine the flour, butter and icing sugar into the bowl of a food processor and blitz until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs (you can do this by hand if you don’t have a food processor). Add the egg and blitz until the dough just comes together, then stop. Don’t overwork the pastry or it will become tough.
Step 2
Lightly dust your work surface with flour and roll the pastry out to 2mm thick before cutting out 8cm rounds. I use a fluted cookie cutter, which is pretty but not necessary. Place each circle of dough into the hole of an oiled non-stick muffin tray, pressing down the dough. Place the muffin tray into the fridge for the pastry to completely chill down – 1-2 hours is best, but this can also be done the day before. The longer you chill the dough, the less it will shrink while baking.
Step 3
When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional) and line each pastry case with a cupcake wrapper. Fill the wrapper with baking weights – I use raw rice or lentils for this – and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the liners (and baking weights) and bake for a further 5-7 minutes, or until the tartlets are a nice golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Step 4
For the curd, combine the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour and citrus juice and zest in a small saucepan and whisk together. Place over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and bitters. At this stage, I like to give the curd a blitz with an immersion blender to ensure it’s perfectly smooth and emulsified. Pour the curd into a bowl, cover it with cling wrap so that it touches the curd surface (this prevents a skin from forming) and refrigerate until completely chilled. Overnight is best.
Step 5
To serve, scoop 1-2 tablespoons of the curd into each tartlet case and top with a generous spoonful of whipped cream and garnish with a thin slice of lemon and lime.

Lemon, lime and bitters curd has many uses.iStock

Tips

Pastry cases like these are a little labour of love but they’re worth it. You can make life easier and buy premade cases if time is short.
For best pastry results, ensure both the butter and egg are chilled.
Using a standard-size 12-hole non-stick muffin tray means you can easily bake 12 tartlets at a time without needing to buy special tartlet moulds, and even better, you can use cupcake liners to line the shells before adding the baking weights.
Blitzing with an immersion blender (or food processor) guarantees silky-smooth curd. For best results, make the curd one or two days ahead, so it has plenty of time to chill and set.
Aside from filling tartlets, this curd can be layered into dessert cups, swirled through whipped cream or simply spread on toast.