Curds are worthy of devotion. They have this really silky texture that just melts in your mouth. Lime curd is my favourite because it has an extra tanginess factor. This lime curd tart recipe has a cookie base, a lovely lime curd inside and is topped with whipped cream.
To make the crust for this tart I used my favourite cookies in the world; Jules Destrooper Butter Crisps. They are really buttery so you don’t need to add that much butter to the base to keep it in place. If you’re not using a buttery cookie like me for the base then refer to the lime meringue pie measurements. Too little butter and the base will fall apart and too much and it will be hard to cut through.
Of course this lime curd you could make to just have on its own. Lime curd on a scone is just complete bliss. You can fill this tart with lime curd or just the lime filling for my lime meringue pie that is baked before chilling. Also you could top it with cream or meringue. So between these two recipes you can mix and match depending on your preference :).
Ingredients
For the cookie base
- 220 g butter-based cookies I used Jules Destrooper Butter Crisps
- 70 g unsalted butter melted. If using dryer cookies use up to 100g
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the lime curd
- 2 limes zest only
- 240 ml lime juice 15-22 limes
- 450 g granulated sugar
- 500-540 g eggs 12-18 eggs
- 90 g unsalted butter cold and cut in cubes
For the whipped cream
- 300 g whipping cream
- 3 tbsp icing sugar
Instructions
For the cookie base
- Process the cookies with the salt until you have a fine crumb.
- Add the butter in the recipe and assess if you need to add more in case your cookie is dryer. You should have a crumb that stays together if pressed but otherwise is loose.
- Place the mix onto the tart base and use the back of a glass to press it into shape.
- Bake at 160C for 5-12min. Be careful, we only want it to change colour slightly and it tends to go from that to burnt quickly.
- Let cool completely.
For the lime curd
- Place a pot with water over medium heat. Once it starts to boil reduce the heat until you see only a slight simmer and place a bowl on top. Make sure that the base isn’t touching the water in the pot. This is a bain-marie or double boiler.
- Add the lime juice, lime zest and sugar onto the bowl and let it sit there until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Add the eggs off the heat and quickly whisk them in. Place the bowl back onto the bain-marie and whisk constantly until the curd cooks. It’s ready when you can see it’s more gelatinous. Also if you draw a shape with the mix on its surface it will stay there. This will take 15-25min. You want to avoid over cooking the curd or it could curdle.
- Remove from the heat and transfer to another bowl through a sieve or colander. The colander will catch large pieces of zest and also any egg that cooked funny. Changing it to another bowl will also stop the cooking process. Add the butter and mix until fully melted and incorporated.
- Let cool completely to room temperature before filling the tart. Then fill the tart and spread it using a spatula. Place in the fridge overnight to set.
For the whipped cream
- Whip the cream 3-4 hours before serving. Mix the cream and icing sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Spread it onto the curd and return to the fridge. You want it to set a bit to make it easier to cut later.
