Sweet Shortcrust pastry with a hint of lemon

 The next few weeks for me will have a Lemony theme. A good way to start my first hesitant foray into blogging. The focus for this weekend will be a lemon or lemon curd tart and I can't have a good tart without a good tart pastry. So I've adapted the one Matt Moran used for his Frangipane Tart on MasterChef Australia.   


Ingredients

375g plain flour
50g icing sugar
200g butter
1 egg
Zest of two lemons
 Note : this pastry will line two tins


Step 1: Preheat oven to 180°C. Put a baking tray in the oven. Grease and line the base of one or two 18cm loose
bottomed tart tin.  (this pastry will line two 18cm tins or you can freeze the remaining pastry for up to 4 weeks )

Step 1:  To make the pastry, add the flour, icing sugar butter and lemon zest to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

 Add the egg and pulse again until the dough comes together. Wrap in cling wrap,then rest in the fridge for about 1 hour.

Step 2: On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the pastry until 3-4mm thick. Line the tart tin with pastry, prick the base all over with a fork then rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Line the pastry case with baking paper and fill with rice or pie weights place on baking tray and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until pastry is set and golden.